Dominican Republic, Taino culture
1200–1500 AD
Stone
Height: 10½ in (26.7 cm), Width: 4¼ in (10.8 cm), Weight: 5.2 lb
Provenance: Dick Pautzke, Santa Barbara, California
The Taino were the predominant culture of the Caribbean at the time of European contact in 1492, with a complex polytheistic belief system centered on zemís, physical manifestations of gods, spirits, and ancestors carved in stone, wood, bone, and shell. Ceremonial celts of this type served as prestige objects and ritual implements rather than functional tools, and the incised figure on this example represents a zemí being, consistent with Taino iconographic conventions for depicting supernatural entities with mask-like faces, circular eyes, and simplified body forms. Ancestor veneration was central to Taino ritual life, with shamans understood to communicate directly with the dead through such objects.
This celt is carved from a dense dark stone and is substantial in both scale and weight, reflecting the investment of material and labor reserved for high-status ceremonial objects. The incised zemí figure on the face displays the characteristic Taino formal vocabulary of circular eyes, pronounced brow, and schematic body rendered in low relief. The Santa Barbara provenance through Dick Pautzke gives the piece a clear single-owner collecting history.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand
Dominican Republic, Taino culture
1200–1500 AD
Stone
Height: 10½ in (26.7 cm), Width: 4¼ in (10.8 cm), Weight: 5.2 lb
Provenance: Dick Pautzke, Santa Barbara, California
The Taino were the predominant culture of the Caribbean at the time of European contact in 1492, with a complex polytheistic belief system centered on zemís, physical manifestations of gods, spirits, and ancestors carved in stone, wood, bone, and shell. Ceremonial celts of this type served as prestige objects and ritual implements rather than functional tools, and the incised figure on this example represents a zemí being, consistent with Taino iconographic conventions for depicting supernatural entities with mask-like faces, circular eyes, and simplified body forms. Ancestor veneration was central to Taino ritual life, with shamans understood to communicate directly with the dead through such objects.
This celt is carved from a dense dark stone and is substantial in both scale and weight, reflecting the investment of material and labor reserved for high-status ceremonial objects. The incised zemí figure on the face displays the characteristic Taino formal vocabulary of circular eyes, pronounced brow, and schematic body rendered in low relief. The Santa Barbara provenance through Dick Pautzke gives the piece a clear single-owner collecting history.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand
