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LOT 0073C

Costa Rican Jadeite Stone Celt Avian Figure

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Pre-Columbian, Costa Rica, Guanacaste/Nicoya region, ca. 200 to 600 CE. An avian axe god skillfully carved from a pale blue-green jadeite with the lower section in a nice celt form. The upper section depicts a highly stylized bird from the Costa Rican rainforest with a down-turned beak below two annular eyes on a recessed band and high rising crest feathers. The upper part of his chest is shown as an elevated square sat beneath his beak featuring an incised wing on each side. The bottom half of the celt is long and flat with a round base. A horizontal drill hole barrels through the sides of his head, allowing this lovely sculpture to be suspended. Size: 2" W x 9.5" H (5.1 cm x 24.1 cm); 10" H (25.4 cm) on included custom stand.

The value of jadeite in the Pre-Columbian world lay in its symbolic power; scholars believe its color was associated with water and vegetation. 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 jadeite, a pendant excavated from a burial site on the Nicoya Peninsula, dated to the mid-first millennium BCE. It appears that jadeite continued to be carved into personal ornaments, usually depicting anthropomorphic deities or animals such as birds, monkeys, or frogs, until approximately 700 CE when gold became the favored material to fashion such ornaments.

An Orenda laboratory analysis report from December 15, 2015 will accompany this piece.

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-private A. Bernard collection, France, acquired 2000s

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#162166
Condition Report: Bottom of base has been reattached with small chip missing along break line. Adhesive residue from collection label on verso. Otherwise, excellent with light earthen deposits in recessed areas.

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Time, Location
24 Jun 2021
USA, Louisville, CO
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[ translate ]

Pre-Columbian, Costa Rica, Guanacaste/Nicoya region, ca. 200 to 600 CE. An avian axe god skillfully carved from a pale blue-green jadeite with the lower section in a nice celt form. The upper section depicts a highly stylized bird from the Costa Rican rainforest with a down-turned beak below two annular eyes on a recessed band and high rising crest feathers. The upper part of his chest is shown as an elevated square sat beneath his beak featuring an incised wing on each side. The bottom half of the celt is long and flat with a round base. A horizontal drill hole barrels through the sides of his head, allowing this lovely sculpture to be suspended. Size: 2" W x 9.5" H (5.1 cm x 24.1 cm); 10" H (25.4 cm) on included custom stand.

The value of jadeite in the Pre-Columbian world lay in its symbolic power; scholars believe its color was associated with water and vegetation. 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 jadeite, a pendant excavated from a burial site on the Nicoya Peninsula, dated to the mid-first millennium BCE. It appears that jadeite continued to be carved into personal ornaments, usually depicting anthropomorphic deities or animals such as birds, monkeys, or frogs, until approximately 700 CE when gold became the favored material to fashion such ornaments.

An Orenda laboratory analysis report from December 15, 2015 will accompany this piece.

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-private A. Bernard collection, France, acquired 2000s

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#162166
Condition Report: Bottom of base has been reattached with small chip missing along break line. Adhesive residue from collection label on verso. Otherwise, excellent with light earthen deposits in recessed areas.

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Estimate
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Time, Location
24 Jun 2021
USA, Louisville, CO
Auction House
Unlock