A Costa Rican Jadeite Bird-Celt Pendant, Early Classic Period, ca. 100 - 600 CE Amulets - Protection Teotihuacan artisans were skilled in

Teotihuacan artisans were skilled in capturing even the smallest nuances of facial features in their artworks which is evidenced here by the slender curved nose

then by descent to his daughter

Provenance: Old English collection

translucent garnet cabochon stones arranged as petals

acquired 1970s - 1980s

A Costa Rican Jadeite Bird-Celt Pendant, Early Classic Period, ca. 100 - 600 CE Amulets - Protection Teotihuacan artisans were skilled inMany bird form pendants of Costa Rica feature a lower section shaped like a workaday celt or ax. The stone celt of teardrop shape was the common working tool in the ancient Americas, and in some instances the shape itself took on greater, perhaps even sacred, significance. Finely carved in translucent blue green jadeite, the lower part of this pendant is an example of how the celt shape was integrated into prized personal ornaments. At the top of the