Lot 92
Western Hemisphere, Caribbean, Hispaniola or Puerto Rica, Taino / Arawak culture, 1000 to 1500 BCE. A hand-pecked, carved and drileld stone pestle with flared cylindrical body and domed top surmounted by a ring of low-relief anthropomorphic heads. Executed in fine-grained basalt, the pestle shows dark surface patination from age and use. Such implements were essential in processing cassava and other staple foods, and many were imbued with symbolic meaning, sometimes representing ancestors or deities in Taino cosmology. Size: 4.5" W x 6" H (11.4 cm x 15.2 cm)
The Taíno were the principal Caribbean branch of the wider Arawak-speaking peoples, whose origins trace to the Orinoco River basin of South America. By the time of European contact in the late 15th century, the Taíno occupied much of the Greater Antilles, including Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Cuba. Organized into hierarchical chiefdoms led by caciques, Taíno society thrived on a sophisticated agricultural system centered on cassava, maize, and other staple crops. Villages were laid out around central plazas, which served as hubs for ceremonial life. Religion and ritual were deeply integrated into daily existence, with carved stone and wooden objectsknown as zemisrepresenting deities, ancestors, or natural forces. Stone pestles, like the present example, played a dual role: practical tools for processing cassava and symbolic implements associated with fertility, sustenance, and ancestral power. The artistry of the Taíno reflects a refined aesthetic sensibility, visible in their ceramics, shell and bone carvings, and stone sculpture. Though European colonization severely disrupted their way of life, the cultural legacy of the Taíno endures in Caribbean language, art, and tradition.
Provenance: private Lake St. Louis, Missouri, USA collection, acquired between 2000 to 2010
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#196598
- Condition: Intact with no repairs. One side of grinding side showing more wear than the other, a few very minor blemishes else excellent.
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