Lot 199, Auction 3/19/2026: Costa Rican Greenstone Avian Amulet

$325.00

In stock

Pre-Columbian, Central America, Costa Rica, ca. 300 to 600 BCE. A compact sculpture with a commanding presence, this Costa Rican greenstone amulet distills animal spirit and ancestral symbolism into a powerful wearable form. Carved from dense greenstone with subtle mottling and warm mineral veining, the figure is rendered in a highly stylized avian design. The head is defined by bold, simplified planes, with incised facial features suggesting eyes and a beak, while the body broadens into a compact, blocklike torso. Its surfaces have been carefully smoothed, with crisp transitions that emphasize silhouette over naturalistic detail, a visual language characteristic of early Central American lapidary traditions._x000D_
Size: 1.3″ W x 2.9″ H (3.3 cm x 7.4 cm)

The amulet is laterally drilled at the sides, positioned where the arms would be on an anthropomorphic figure or the wings on an avian figure, allowing it to be worn as a pendant. This placement not only provided secure suspension but also reinforces the impression of a hybrid being – part bird, part human – embodying layered identities and spiritual meaning.

In ancient Costa Rica, greenstone held deep symbolic weight. Such materials were prized for their rarity, luminous color, and perceived vitality, and were often associated with fertility, lineage, and protective power. Avian imagery in particular evokes the sky world and the ability to move between realms, suggesting that this pendant may have functioned as an amulet of transformation and connection to supernatural forces. Intimate in scale yet striking in form, this pendant offers a vivid glimpse into the early artistic imagination of Costa Rica, where stone served as a medium of status, belief, and enduring presence.

Condition: Some nicks and abrasions commensurate with age, but, otherwise, intact, wearable, and in overall very good condition. Earthen deposits in recessed areas.

Provenance: private southwestern Pennsylvania, USA collection, acquired prior to 2000

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 purchases.

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