Pre-Columbian, Costa Rica, Guanacaste/Nicoya Region, ca. 200 to 600 CE. A gorgeous bird celt, skillfully carved and string cut from an inherently beautiful piece of jadeite presenting sublime blue-green hues with golden inclusions. The form depicts a perched bird with wonderful details: large circular eyes, a long, pointed beak, crest feathers atop its head, and feathered wings meeting across the chest above the celt-shaped blade below. Laterally drilled behind the neck for attachment or suspension, this piece is ready to be strung on your favorite chain or simply appreciated for its artistry and symbolic meaning; in the Pre-Columbian world, birds were regarded as special messengers between humankind and the celestial realm. Size: 2.375" H (6 cm)
Costa Rica, along with Mesoamerica, is one of the two regions where jade was extensively carved in the Pre-Columbian world. The earliest example of worked jade, a pendant excavated from a burial site on the Nicoya Peninsula, dated to the mid-first millennium BCE. Jade continued to be an desirable luxury material in Costa Rica until approximately 800 CE when the indigenous developed a taste for gold; however, during its day, this piece and other jadeworks of such high quality were most coveted.
Provenance: private Palm Beach, Florida, USA collection
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#148810
Condition
Trace earthen encrustations visible in the perforations. Overall near choice if not choice. Ready to wear on your favorite chain or put on display to appreciate.