Lot 239, Auction 3/19/2026: Hohokam Slate Implement or Pigment Palette

$1,950.00

In stock

Native American, Southwest United States, Hohokam culture, ca. 500 to 1400 CE. A substantial Hohokam slate implement or pigment palette carved from a dark, fine-grained stone slab and shaped into a long rectangular form with carefully worked edges. The surface bears areas of smoothing and wear consistent with repeated grinding or mixing activities, suggesting its use in the preparation of pigments, minerals, or other substances. Particularly notable is the beveled edge along one side, a deliberate shaping detail that may have facilitated handling or scraping during use. Stone palettes and grinding implements such as this were important tools in Hohokam craft traditions. They were used to process mineral pigments, plant materials, or other compounds employed in painting, ceremonial decoration, or domestic production. The broad, flat working surface and durable slate material would have made it well suited for grinding ochre and other colorants used to decorate pottery, textiles, or the human body. Size: 7.8″ L x 3.4″ W (19.8 cm x 8.6 cm)

The Hohokam culture flourished across the deserts of present-day Arizona and is especially known for its sophisticated irrigation canals, distinctive red-on-buff pottery, and extensive trade networks throughout the Southwest and Mesoamerica. Objects such as this slate palette reflect the practical technologies that supported both everyday craft activities and artistic expression within Hohokam communities.

Condition: Losses on one end, as well as chips and stable fissure to edges. A few nicks and abrasions throughout. Rich earthen deposits. Old inventory number on one side and remains of old paper to surface.

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.

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