Maya
600 to 800 AD
Shell
Height 1.5 in (3.8 cm), Width 3.25 in (8.3 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Honolulu, HI; Edgar Owen, Lake Hopatcong, NJ, acquired June 28, 2013; Art Restorer, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC; Ranching family, Guatemala, 1960
This Classic period Maya shell pectoral is carved with a facing head wearing ear spools and neck ornaments, the iconographic conventions of elite Maya personal adornment in the Late Classic period. Shell pectorals of this type were prestige objects worn by members of the Maya nobility, their carved surfaces displaying the imagery associated with royal identity, ancestor veneration, and the supernatural powers claimed by the ruling class. The facing head composition, with its clearly rendered facial features and ornamental details, reflects the high standard of lapidary work associated with Classic Maya workshops serving elite patrons.
The provenance sequence for this piece is unusually well documented, tracing from a Guatemalan ranching family in 1960 through an art restorer at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, then to Edgar Owen of Lake Hopatcong, NJ, and subsequently to a private collection in Honolulu. The 1960 Guatemala origin predates modern cultural property legislation, and the Smithsonian connection adds an institutional dimension to the provenance chain. Shell pectorals of Classic Maya workmanship with this level of provenance documentation are uncommon in the private market.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Maya
600 to 800 AD
Shell
Height 1.5 in (3.8 cm), Width 3.25 in (8.3 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Honolulu, HI; Edgar Owen, Lake Hopatcong, NJ, acquired June 28, 2013; Art Restorer, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC; Ranching family, Guatemala, 1960
This Classic period Maya shell pectoral is carved with a facing head wearing ear spools and neck ornaments, the iconographic conventions of elite Maya personal adornment in the Late Classic period. Shell pectorals of this type were prestige objects worn by members of the Maya nobility, their carved surfaces displaying the imagery associated with royal identity, ancestor veneration, and the supernatural powers claimed by the ruling class. The facing head composition, with its clearly rendered facial features and ornamental details, reflects the high standard of lapidary work associated with Classic Maya workshops serving elite patrons.
The provenance sequence for this piece is unusually well documented, tracing from a Guatemalan ranching family in 1960 through an art restorer at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, then to Edgar Owen of Lake Hopatcong, NJ, and subsequently to a private collection in Honolulu. The 1960 Guatemala origin predates modern cultural property legislation, and the Smithsonian connection adds an institutional dimension to the provenance chain. Shell pectorals of Classic Maya workmanship with this level of provenance documentation are uncommon in the private market.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
