Costa Rica Jade Anthropomorphic Celt Pendant, Goggle Eyes
Pre-Columbian, Costa Rica, ca. 500–1000 CE. A pendant carved from mottled blue-green jade in the form of a standing human, the celt blade itself becoming the body. The head shows a ridged, furrowed brow above small drilled eyes ringed by raised goggle-like elements, a broad nose, and a mouth drilled at the corners. Below, hands rest across the chest with fingers delineated in shallow relief, while the lower two-thirds tapers to the smooth polished bit of the axe form. The reverse carries a string-cut groove along the spine, evidence of the sawing-with-cord technique used to shape the hard stone, and a biconical perforation through the neck allowed suspension. Likely worn as a badge of rank or a protective amulet. Custom metal display base. Size: 1.875" W x 4.75" H (4.8 cm W x 12.1 cm H).
Costa Rican lapidaries produced these "axe-god" pendants in quantity between roughly 300 and 800 CE, concentrated in the Nicoya Peninsula and the Atlantic watershed. The form fuses two ideas: the polished stone celt, a tool and a symbol of agricultural fertility and clearing power, and the human or avian figure that inhabits it. Because Costa Rica has no confirmed jadeite source, the raw material was traded south from the Motagua Valley of Guatemala, and Maya heirloom objects were sometimes recut into local celt pendants.
Without rotary drills or metal tools, carvers shaped jadeite by abrading it with cord, sand, and water. The resulting string-cut grooves, visible here along the reverse, are a diagnostic trace of the technique and a reliable index of hand manufacture.
Provenance: Private Chicago collection. Acquired from John Coiner. Ex. Enrique Vargas collection, Texas.
SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700.
PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception.
Item #
73116
Condition
Intact, excellent condition.
Buyer's Premium
30%
Sale price
Estimate
Reserve
Time, Location
Auction House
Pre-Columbian, Costa Rica, ca. 500–1000 CE. A pendant carved from mottled blue-green jade in the form of a standing human, the celt blade itself becoming the body. The head shows a ridged, furrowed brow above small drilled eyes ringed by raised goggle-like elements, a broad nose, and a mouth drilled at the corners. Below, hands rest across the chest with fingers delineated in shallow relief, while the lower two-thirds tapers to the smooth polished bit of the axe form. The reverse carries a string-cut groove along the spine, evidence of the sawing-with-cord technique used to shape the hard stone, and a biconical perforation through the neck allowed suspension. Likely worn as a badge of rank or a protective amulet. Custom metal display base. Size: 1.875" W x 4.75" H (4.8 cm W x 12.1 cm H).
Costa Rican lapidaries produced these "axe-god" pendants in quantity between roughly 300 and 800 CE, concentrated in the Nicoya Peninsula and the Atlantic watershed. The form fuses two ideas: the polished stone celt, a tool and a symbol of agricultural fertility and clearing power, and the human or avian figure that inhabits it. Because Costa Rica has no confirmed jadeite source, the raw material was traded south from the Motagua Valley of Guatemala, and Maya heirloom objects were sometimes recut into local celt pendants.
Without rotary drills or metal tools, carvers shaped jadeite by abrading it with cord, sand, and water. The resulting string-cut grooves, visible here along the reverse, are a diagnostic trace of the technique and a reliable index of hand manufacture.
Provenance: Private Chicago collection. Acquired from John Coiner. Ex. Enrique Vargas collection, Texas.
SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700.
PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception.
Item #
73116
Condition
Intact, excellent condition.
Buyer's Premium
30%
Sale price
Estimate
Reserve
Time, Location
Auction House
