Ancestral Pueblo (Anasazi), St. Johns, Arizona
Circa 1200 AD
Bone
Height 4 3/4 in (12.1 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Pima, AZ; found at Witch Wells, St. Johns, AZ
Not found on federal or state land
This large bone fetish dates to the Ancestral Pueblo period, circa 1200 AD, and was found at Witch Wells near St. Johns, Arizona. At 4 3/4 in height it is considerably larger than most surviving examples of the type, which tend toward miniature forms, and its scale suggests an object of particular significance within the context of Ancestral Pueblo ritual and ceremonial life. The simplified anthropomorphic form, with its schematic facial features, is consistent with the fetish tradition of the Ancestral Pueblo people across the Colorado Plateau and the upper Sonoran Desert.
Bone fetishes of the Ancestral Pueblo period are among the rarest survivals of the material culture of this tradition, fragile objects that rarely endure in the archaeological record without the protection of dry desert conditions. The Witch Wells site in the St. Johns area of eastern Arizona is within the heartland of Ancestral Pueblo occupation, and objects found in this region represent the material legacy of a culture that built the great cliff dwellings and pueblo complexes of the Southwest. The private collection provenance from Pima, Arizona and the documentation that this piece was not found on federal or state land are important factors for collectors of Southwestern prehistoric material.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Ancestral Pueblo (Anasazi), St. Johns, Arizona
Circa 1200 AD
Bone
Height 4 3/4 in (12.1 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Pima, AZ; found at Witch Wells, St. Johns, AZ
Not found on federal or state land
This large bone fetish dates to the Ancestral Pueblo period, circa 1200 AD, and was found at Witch Wells near St. Johns, Arizona. At 4 3/4 in height it is considerably larger than most surviving examples of the type, which tend toward miniature forms, and its scale suggests an object of particular significance within the context of Ancestral Pueblo ritual and ceremonial life. The simplified anthropomorphic form, with its schematic facial features, is consistent with the fetish tradition of the Ancestral Pueblo people across the Colorado Plateau and the upper Sonoran Desert.
Bone fetishes of the Ancestral Pueblo period are among the rarest survivals of the material culture of this tradition, fragile objects that rarely endure in the archaeological record without the protection of dry desert conditions. The Witch Wells site in the St. Johns area of eastern Arizona is within the heartland of Ancestral Pueblo occupation, and objects found in this region represent the material legacy of a culture that built the great cliff dwellings and pueblo complexes of the Southwest. The private collection provenance from Pima, Arizona and the documentation that this piece was not found on federal or state land are important factors for collectors of Southwestern prehistoric material.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
