Pre-Columbian, Costa Rica, Atlantic Watershed, ca. 200 to 500 CE. A gorgeous carved standing figure made from lovely mottled green and white serpentine. Created from large "pebble" in the form of a standing human. Because of the positioning of the hands at their stomach as well as the larger hips, it is probable that this figure is a woman and represents some form of fertility votive. Facial features mostly carved using a string and sand technique with eyes and opening between arms and torso (three drill holes each) and between legs (5 distinct drill holes) obviously drilled showing each separate drill location. A truly lovely example! Size: 1.375" W x 3.25" H (3.5 cm x 8.3 cm)

A question this piece makes me wonder; did the stone craftsman know when he was working on jade versus a slightly less hard serpentine? Because objects like this were created as a medium of exchange, was this "sold" to the end-user as jade or as a lesser quality stone? True jade was a very treasured commodity. Where did serpentine fall into the stone hierarchy?

Provenance: private British Columbia, Canada collection, gifted from aunt in Tucson, Arizona, USA, acquired prior to 1994

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Ancient chip at crown of head so worn with age it was not immediately apparent.