Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Mixtec, ca. 1200 to 1500 CE. A remarkable ensemble of Mixtec copper bells strung on fiber strands - 20 clusters with about 100 bells in set in a modern box for display. The jangling sound of bells was part of the rituals carried out to honor the gods and these may have been worn as jewlery or attached to clothing. Coyolxauhqui, Huitzilopochtli, and Tlaloc were deities specifically associated with bells and venerated in various parts of Mesoamerica. Size: 2.5" L x 1.75" W (6.4 cm x 4.4 cm) Size of bells: 0.5" L x 0.3" W (1.3 cm x 0.8 cm); case: 12.25" L x 8.25" W (31.1 cm x 21 cm)

Provenance: private Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA collection; ex-private Arkansas, USA collection, via descent in 2021; ex-private Florida estate, USA, acquired from the 1960s to 1970s

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#176472

Fraying and losses to cotton threads as shown. Losses and perforations to copper bells. Heavy green patina and mineral encrustations. Most bells still emit sounds and retain clapper balls. Displayed in modern Riker case.