**First Time At Auction**
Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A trio of earspools handmade from jet black obsidian stone and pottery. The 2 obsidian spools have an hourglass profile and flat faces. The corseted midsection would balance in the ear, secured by the flared faces. The largest spool is not quite as glassy and reflective as the others and is actually highly burnished blackware pottery. Obsidian was a rare and treasured material that was difficult to obtain; traded over hundreds of miles from volcanic sources in the Sierra Madre of Mexico and Guatemala to those who could afford it. For those less wealthy and privileged, imitation using pottery was a clever way to mimic the rare obsidian. The indigenous believed that ears were the conduits for spiritual energy and consequently ancient artisans invested great skill and aesthetic style when creating ear flares such as these examples. Size: pottery spool: 0.75" Diameter x 0.5" W (1.9 cm x 1.3 cm); obsidian spool: 0.6" W x 0.5" Diameter (1.5 cm x 1.3 cm)
Provenance: private Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA collection; ex-Dr. David Harner collection, Springdale, Arkansas, USA, acquired between the 1950s and 1960s
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Condition
Chips to faces of all three and some surface abrasions and scratches, but otherwise intact. The obsidian spools are highly polished with glassy surfaces.