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HOME :
Pre-Columbian Art :
Costa Rican Jade : Guanacaste-Nicoya Jade Figure-Celt
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Guanacaste-Nicoya Jade Figure-Celt - PF.1014
Origin: Western Costa Rica
Circa: 300
BC
to 300
AD
Dimensions:
8.5" (21.6cm) high
Collection: Pre-Columbian
Medium: Jade
Additional Information: Korea
£4,000.00
Location: Great Britain
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| Description |
In the context of Pre-Columbian art
and
archaeology, jade is a generic term
that
refers to
any variety of hard, dense stones that
were
worked with great skill by native
artists.
Although jade is generally thought to
be
green, it
can actually be a range of colors.
Jade
carving
flourished in ancient Costa Rica for
over a
thousand years, roughly from 500 B.C.
to
900
A.D., although the period of greatest
artistic
accomplishment lasted from 300 to 700
A.D.
It
is believed that jade working began
during
an
extended period of agricultural
abundance
that
allowed the ancient society to
dedicate part
of its
energies toward the cultivation of
artistic
pursuits.
Jade was considered to be a sacred
material
by
the ancient populations of Costa Rica,
held
in
even higher esteem than gold.
Generally, it
was
thought to symbolize that vital life
force that
sustains us all. The color green is
naturally
associated with verdant plant life.
Specifically,
jade was thought to symbolize the
sprouting
maize plant, that staple of the Pre-
Columbian
diet. It has also been suggested that
jade
represents water. Either way, we can
be
certain
that jade represented the very essence
of life
itself.
To date, no native sources of jade
have been
discovered in Costa Rica, suggesting
an
extended trade network existed that
imported
this precious resource from
Mesoamerica
into
Costa Rica where it was carved by
local
artists.
Such trade also would have brought
great
wealth
and likely reinforced the social
stratification
of
the peoples. Jade may have served as
a
status
marker to distinguish the elite from
the
masses
and solidify their hold on power. We
can
picture
an ancient ruler or shaman presiding
over a
sacred ceremonial adorned in brilliant
green
jade
pendants and jewelry. The ancient
Costa
Ricans
believe that the system of social
hierarchy
also
extended into the afterlife.
Therefore, jade
objects were buried with the elite so
that
their
power could be maintained throughout
eternity.
This striking pendant of rich,
translucent
green
was created in antiquity by sawing a
celt--or
ritual axe--in two. Though the
stylized deity
is
portrayed in the simplest of manners,
with
just a
few quick lines to suggest his
features, he
still
manages to project an attitude of
divine
power.
His benevolence seems to be reflected
in the
stone: cool to the touch, soothing and
a little
mysterious.
- (PF.1014)
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