Lot 148

Two Ecuadorean Pottery Spindle Whorl Bead Strands

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Two Ecuadorean Pottery Spindle Whorl Bead Strands

Estimate: $700 - $1,200

Starting Bid: $350

(0 Bids)

October 2, 2025 8:00 AM MDT (In Progress)
Live Auction
Louisville, CO, US


Description:

Pre-Columbian, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, various cultures including Manteno, Quimbaya, Tairona, and Chancay, ca. 800 to 1500 CE. A collection of ancient pottery spindle whorls, now strung as beads. The group includes one long strand composed of over one hundred smaller whorls and a shorter strand with more than twenty larger examples. Spindle whorls were essential tools in textile production, functioning as weights to regulate momentum while spinning fibers into thread or yarn. Each bead exhibits distinctive shaping and surface detail - some plain, others incised with geometric motifs or simple patterns. Several, likely attributable to the Chancay, bear stylized representations of animals and birds. The longer strand can be worn as-is or restrung into custom jewelry, while the shorter strand - too compact to wear in its current form - offers an excellent source of larger, visually striking beads for new creative arrangements. Size of longest strand doubled: 50" L (127 cm); short strand doubled: 16.5" L (41.9 cm); largest bead: 1" Diameter x 0.5" W (2.5 cm x 1.3 cm)

Provenance: private Burbank, Illinois, USA collection via inheritance 2024, acquired between 1970s to 2000s

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.

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#196464

  • Condition: Some chips and abrasions as expected with age and use. Some light mineral deposits in recessed areas. Strung in modern times on modern threads. The longer strand is wearable!

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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