Pre-Columbian, Mesoamerica, Olmec, ca. 700 to 500 BCE. Jade is a swirling milky white and turquoise color, translucent enough over approximately a third of its surface that light clearly shines through it. The exterior has two small holes drilled opposite each other at the rim; the exterior of the body is decorated with finely-incised glyph-like designs. The Olmecs, the first major culture known from Mesoamerica, created amazing jade carvings, many of them incised like this one. Jade seems to have been associated with water, vegetation, and young corn, the staple food of Olmec life. Based on burial practices, particularly the objects from important burials at La Venta in the present day Mexican state of Tabasco, we believe that jade was reserved for high nobility, royalty, and the gods. Size: 2.7" W x 2.9" H (6.9 cm x 7.4 cm)

The incised glyphs on this carving are probably epi-Olmec or proto-Mayan. Epi-Olmec, like Mayan, consists of glyphs, often written in lines or columns. Although not all of it has been deciphered, what we know of this language is that it describes religious notions and, to a lesser extent, socio-political matters. It is not clear if glyphs are both pictographic and ideographic, or what role phonograms might have played, and this remains a hotly studied component of Mesoamerican archaeology. With all these questions, can we say anything about this cup? Barring some exceptional circumstances, it was owned by a wealthy person, and buried with them; its glyphs probably speak to the status of the individual or offer a prayer.

Provenance: Ex - private LA County collection acquired before 1990

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#116298

Excellent condition, with slight wear to surface but design clear.