Maya Stone / Shell Beads + Spindle Whorls Necklace

**Originally Listed At $350**

Pre-Columbian, southern Mexico and northern Central America, Mayan Territories, Late Classic period, ca. 550 to 900 CE. A trio of ceramic spindle whorls, each of "donut" form, strung together as a pendant on a modern oxidized silver chain along with six groups of eight pink/white shell and smooth black stone seed beads. Together, these ancient beads create a necklace with modern design elements. Each spindle whorl has incised decoration around it. Spindle whorls were not just utilitarian items to the pre-Columbian Maya. Beautiful textiles were an important element of elite and ceremonial costume, and the importance of whorls as tools to create them seems to have been recognized in ritual deposits. These were not objects to be discarded as trash, but instead disposed of with veneration. Length of chain: 19.5" L (49.5 cm); size of largest spindle whorl (all are similar in size): 1" W (2.5 cm)

Provenance: private Denver, Colorado USA collection, Hank Johnson, before 2000

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#130611
Condition Report: Beads and spindle whorls all have wear commensurate with age but are nicely intact.