Roller seals were used by cultures in a wide area
of the Ancient Americas, from Mexico to
Ecuador. Incised with bold patterns, these seals
were dipped in pigment and then rolled over a
surface, sometimes cloth, sometimes the human
body, to create a continuous repeated pattern.
This large and splendid example is adorned with
abstract floral designs and may have been used
for decoraing clothing. An object from daily life,
touched and used by vanished hands, it reminds
us that the love of ornament is as old as
civilization itself.
- (PF.1910)
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