Maya Serpentine Earflare Assemblages
Intricate Details and Artistic Narrative of these
Maya Earflare Assemblages
A rare and exceptional pair of Late Classic Maya earflare assemblages, dated to circa 600–900 AD, carved from marbleized green serpentine with pale green, grey, and white veining. Measuring just over 2 inches in diameter, each assemblage is composed of multiple finely carved elements: a flanged, openwork disc with twin lateral perforations for suspended attachments, and a central drilled aperture housing a cylindrical earflare insert. These multipart forms exemplify the technical sophistication of Maya lapidary tradition and are closely associated with elite ceremonial regalia worn in public display, ritual performance, or courtly life.
The radial composition of the openwork discs reflects Classic Maya ideals of visual order and cosmic symmetry. The petal-like form suggests an abstracted floral motif, a design language often tied to fertility, dynastic legitimacy, and celestial renewal. Serpentine, a symbolically potent material in Mesoamerican cosmology, evoked life force, vegetation, and the sacred vitality of maize. The deliberate use of such material affirms the status of these earflare assemblages as high-status insignia. Despite the addition of modern stabilizing pins for secure display, the assemblages remain intact in their original ancient configuration. Comparable examples appear only rarely in institutional collections and seldom with such completeness and structural clarity.
Provenance: Ex-Peter H., Duvall, WA. Custom-mounted for display.
Price: P.O.R. – Domestic Delivery Included
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Regional Division of Pre-Columbian Americas’ Major Archaeological Cultural Phases