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HOME :
Pre-Columbian Art :
Costa Rican Jade : Costa Rican Jade Celt
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Costa Rican Jade Celt - CK.0875
Circa: 100
AD
to 500
AD
Dimensions:
5.75" (14.6cm) high
x 1.25" (3.2cm) wide
$9,000.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
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'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.
- (CK.0875)
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