Ear ornament

250 B.C.–A.D. 300

Bone

1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm)

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Olsen

1959.55.5

Manufacture of ear spools required sandwiching the perforated disc between two shallow rings. The disc was held in place with plaster, and the outer wall was inlaid with curved strips of bone to create a smooth, concave surface.

Geography:

Mexico

Status:

By appointment, Wurtele Study Center

Culture:

Mexico, Maya or Valley of Mexico

Period:

Late Formative Period to Early Classic Period

Classification:

Jewelry

Provenance:

Fred H. Olsen (1891–1986), and Florence Quittenton Olsen, Guilford, Conn.; gift in 1959 to Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn.

Bibliography:

George A. Kubler, ed., Pre-Columbian Art of Mexico and Central America (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 1986), 153, 319, no. 335, fig. 181.

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.