Description:

Pre-Columbian, Costa Rica, Atlantic Watershed, ca. 100 to 500 CE. A lovely jade effigy pendant carved from luminous greenstone, this figural celt hails from the verdant Atlantic Watershed of ancient Costa Rica and radiates ceremonial power and sculptural refinement. Designed to be worn, the piece is perforated laterally at the neck, allowing it to function as a pendant - an object both sacred and personal. The figure emerges from the body of a smoothly polished, tapered blade, its form shaped through meticulous pecking and finishing. Angular arms cross the torso in a posture of solemnity, while the face - marked by pursed lips, deeply incised brows, and drilled eyes - projects an intense ancestral presence. The chest is adorned with a crisply carved pectoral, and a wide geometric belt cinches the waist. Atop the head sits a tiered headdress or cap, diagonally hatched, signaling elite or divine status. Size: 1.7" W x 4.1" H (4.3 cm x 10.4 cm); 4.5" H (11.4 cm) on included custom stand.

Such celts were not utilitarian tools but objects of profound symbolic weight, linking jade’s verdant hue to fertility, rainfall, and transformation. Likely worn during ritual or buried as an offering, this pendant would have served as a conduit between worlds - human and divine, earthly and ancestral.

Provenance: Collection of Y. Kayvan, Los Angeles, California, USA, acquired from a Los Angeles, California, USA gallery acquisition dates range from the late 1990s to 2005

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.

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#194643

  • Condition: Intact, excellent, and wearable with good detail and lustrous, smooth surfaces.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

SHIPPING LOGISTICS: As a courtesy to our clients worldwide, Artemis Gallery is happy to handle shipping for most lots sold, taking the hassle (and high cost!) out of having to arrange shipping on your own. Shipping costs will be added to your invoice at auction's end based on information given when you registered to bid - we strive to offer the most economical shipping costs to ensure safe transit. Our shippers of choice are DHL for International shipments and UPS for domestic shipments, but we are able to ship via other carriers at the buyer's expense as deemed necessary or by request.

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Items will be shipped only upon receipt of payment in full and will be insured for their full value - no exceptions.

June 13, 2025 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000