West Africa, Mali, Tellem culture, ca. 11th to 15th century CE. Two hand pecked quartzite crystals, polished into ornaments for facial and ear piercings - a labret and a ear plug. The thick cylinder may have been a cheek or chin labret, and the slender plug would easily rest in a slightly stretched lobe. 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 of labret: 0.8" L x 0.75" W (2 cm x 1.9 cm)

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; 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.

#159667

Age expected surface wear, abrasions and chips to both. Stable striations inside matrix of labret. Inventory label marked on surface.