Pre-Columbian, Costa Rica, Guanacaste / Nicoya region, ca. 200 to 600 CE. This is a gorgeous nephrite jade stone celt that is pecked and polished until it resembles a slender rectangular panel. The center is hand drilled with a suspension piercing, perhaps to use as either a pendant or pectoral. The painstaking flaking and polishing to such a sheer and thin layer demonstrates the precise skill of the artisan - one wrong stroke could destroy the entire profile. When held to a light, the jade illuminates throughout which is quite beautiful. Celts often feature an incised and highly abstract anthropomorphic deity figure on one tip. Perhaps this example is unfinished or was not able to be completed in that manner. Size: 6" L x 0.75" W (15.2 cm x 1.9 cm)

Provenance: private J. Hart Collection, Houston, Texas, USA, acquired mid-1970s

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#167492

Intact and very good. Minor nicks to the tips of both ends. Excellent with highly polished surface.