11th C. African Mali Tellem Quartz Ear Plugs (pr)
Similar Sale History
View More Items in Rocks, Minerals & FossilsRelated Rocks, Minerals & Fossils
More Items in North African Rocks, Minerals & Fossils
View MoreRecommended Collectibles
View MoreItem Details
Description
**Originally Listed At $400**
West Africa, Mali, Tellem culture, ca. 11th to 15th century CE. A pair of hand-made quartz crystal ear or lip plugs hand shaped using a pecking and polishing method with stone and sand. Both are semi- translucent with a pale pink hue, and a slightly bulbous end that prevented the tubular point from falling out of the earlobe or lip. According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's website: "What little is known of Tellem society is based on the contents of remote chambers of Bandiagara necropoli, or collective burial sites. Tellem residents of villages located at the foot of the high cliff in the Seno plain went to great lengths to hoist up and deposit their dead for safeguarding within its caves, along with precious possessions and agricultural reserves. Among the items of adornment recovered are cylindrical quartz plugs worn in the lip, nose, and ears and beads made of glass, quartz, and carnelian. Other intimate possessions that accompanied their owners into the afterlife include headrests and stools." Size: 1.125" L x 0.25" W (2.9 cm x 0.6 cm)
Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection, 1995 to 2010; ex-German Collection
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#159660
West Africa, Mali, Tellem culture, ca. 11th to 15th century CE. A pair of hand-made quartz crystal ear or lip plugs hand shaped using a pecking and polishing method with stone and sand. Both are semi- translucent with a pale pink hue, and a slightly bulbous end that prevented the tubular point from falling out of the earlobe or lip. According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's website: "What little is known of Tellem society is based on the contents of remote chambers of Bandiagara necropoli, or collective burial sites. Tellem residents of villages located at the foot of the high cliff in the Seno plain went to great lengths to hoist up and deposit their dead for safeguarding within its caves, along with precious possessions and agricultural reserves. Among the items of adornment recovered are cylindrical quartz plugs worn in the lip, nose, and ears and beads made of glass, quartz, and carnelian. Other intimate possessions that accompanied their owners into the afterlife include headrests and stools." Size: 1.125" L x 0.25" W (2.9 cm x 0.6 cm)
Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection, 1995 to 2010; ex-German Collection
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#159660
Condition
Chip and hairline fissure in bulbous plug, but other is intact and excellent. Old inventory letters on surfaces of both.
Buyer's Premium
- 26.5%
11th C. African Mali Tellem Quartz Ear Plugs (pr)
Estimate $300 - $450
3 bidders are watching this item.
Get approved to bid.
Shipping & Pickup Options
Item located in Louisville, CO, usOffers In-House Shipping
Local Pickup Available
Payment
Accepts seamless payments through LiveAuctioneers
Related Searches
TOP