Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A fine collection of 6 pottery earspools that once adorned the stretched earlobes, a popular practice in Colima culture. The spools are each hand molded with thick plugs and slightly flared rims for securing in the ear. The faces of 5 have an openwork design of linear and crosshatched lines. The last spool has a single piercing through the center of the face. Black pottery was a popular material for earspools because it looked like obsidian stone. The luster of the blackware surface is similar to the glassy obsidian stone, a rare and cherished material. These spools are a beautiful gathering of ancient jewelry that demonstrated prestige. Size of largest spool: 1.675" Diameter x 0.75" W (4.3 cm x 1.9 cm); size of smallest: 1" Diameter x 0.4" W (2.5 cm x 1 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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#165655
Condition
The largest is repaired from two pieces with visible break line across the top and along both sides of the plug and surface abrasion inside of plug. Second largest spool has a loss along the plug rim. Minor nicks and chips to the other 4, but intact. Scattered mineral and earthen deposits throughout all 6 spools.