America Ancient Stone Game Ball "Batey", 500 Years Old

View Similar Items

Fine America’s Chieftain Ceremonial Figure

Early American Plains Stone Buffalo Hunting Talisman

Ancient American "Human Effigy" Stone Pipe, Woodland Period

Native America Ancient Hand Carved Stone Pipe Idol Sculpture

Native America Ancient Hand Carved Stone Kachina Effigy Sculpture

Ancient American "Human Effigy" Stone Paint Pallet, Anasazi Culture 900 AD

Native America Old Natural Stone Human Head Effigy Sculpture

19th Century Native American Ball Head War Club

American "Human Effigy" Female Stone Sculpture, Tennessee, 1000 AD

Inuit Native American Eskimo Signed Stone Carved Walrus Sculpture

Antique Pueblo Native American Old Pawn Ingot Silver Bracelet with Turquoise

Vintage Native American Navajo Cuff bracelet Silver Turquoise Old Pawn jewellery

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 16

America Ancient Stone Game Ball "Batey", 500 Years Old

$4,640List Price

About the Item

Pre-Columbian, Hispaniola, Arawak Peoples, Taino Native Indians, 1000-1500 CE. This is a fine and important hand carved/pecked stone game ball (batey) from the Arawak Peoples of the Greater Antilles Islands. It is a choice and large example. It is finely incised on all planes with multiple stylized geometric motifs representing tattooing or scarification and faces, adding to the impressive aesthetic presence of this piece. Batey (game) Batéy was the name given to a special plaza around which the Caribbean Taino built their settlements. It was usually a rectangular area surrounded by stones with carved symbols. The batey was the area in which batey events (e.g. ceremonies, the ball game, etc.) took place. This form might have served as a marker or trophy symbol in a Taino inter- village ball game and ceremony. The exact purpose of ball games remain a mystery but they may have served to settle political disputes. While the precise function of such objects remain somewhat a mystery- they continue to impress us with their bold abstract form and magical associations. This remarkable sculpture is carved in a light colored iron rich hard stone like limestone. On the surfaces are finely incised stylized geometric motifs representing tattooing or scarification, adding to the impressive aesthetic presence of this piece. A carving of this complexity, quality and size must have belonged to a chieftain or ranking member of the royal household. Although Taino left no written documents, Spanish settlers did record native practices and one account refers to special structures in which chieftains stored their Trove of zemi and other important carvings. The Taino believed in existence of afterlife and Shamanic ability to communicate with the dead. This sculpture may well have been present and on display in such a ceremony or perhaps a focus of ancestor worship. This remarkably evocative work allows us to peak into ancient splendors of their remarkable civilization. Dimensions: 8.5 inches diameter Hand-carved/pecked. Venerated. An important and scarce work of art from America's Caribbean islands. Provenance: Old Puerto Rico collection collected 1950s-1960s, Frank Vasquez Taino History: The Taino flourished from 1200-1500. When Columbus arrived in America, the first people he encountered were the Taino People- inhabitants of the islands of the northern Caribbean Sea, known as Hispaniola. They were Arawakan-speaking people who at the time of Christopher Columbus’s exploration inhabited Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Once the most numerous indigenous people of the Caribbean, the Taino may have numbered several million at the time of the Spanish conquest in the late 15th century. Their highly developed belief system focused on zemi ancestor or god worship. A zemi was the physical manifestation of a god, spirit or ancestor. The chieftain -caciques- encouraged ancestor worship and were often deified after death. The religious leaders or shamans were thought to be able to communicate with the souls of the dead when intoxicated by the hallucinogenic cohoba. A preoccupation with death is evident in many Taino art-forms and partly explains the prevalence of zoomorphic images. Bats, owls and frogs were all popular motifs and were regarded as harbingers of life after death. The Taino believed that the dead could be reborn in animal form and some believe animals were their earliest ancestors in Taino creation myth. Hence we find their zoomorphic sculptures as combinations of human and animal forms particularly provocative and great conversational art. The creator god was known as Yúcahu Maórocoti, encouraging growth of staple foods, like cassava. The goddess was Attabeira, who regulated and dominated over water, rivers, and seas. Their contribution to the Spanish includes Indian corn, tobacco, rubber balls to unique art and artifacts, plus a new vocabulary. Importantly, the Taino lasting effects on Western civilization, though through brief contact, was an important and lasting one. Lifetime guarantee of authenticity: All of our works of art come with our Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee.

Dimensions:
Height: 8.5 in (21.59 cm)Diameter: 8.5 in (21.59 cm)Length: 8.5 in (21.59 cm)
Style:
Pre-Columbian (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Stone,Hand-Carved
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
15th Century and Earlier
Date of Manufacture:
15th Century
Condition:
Seller Location:
South Burlington, VT
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU1289212582711

More From This Seller

View All

Fine America’s Chieftain Ceremonial Figure

Located in South Burlington, VT

Pre-Columbian style , Hispaniola, Arawak Peoples, Taino Native Indians This is a finely carved Taino Cacique Chief's hand carved hard wood figure- a superb ancestor style ceremonial...

Category

20th Century American Pre-Columbian Sculptures and Carvings

Materials

Wood

Fine America’s Chieftain Ceremonial Figure

$1,250

Early American Plains Stone Buffalo Hunting Talisman

Located in South Burlington, VT

Native America Plains hand-carved and hand-painted stone Buffalo Hunting Talisman in the form of a buffalo hoof with human effigy head and tail , granite, 1800-1900 Dimensions: 12 inches high and 9.5 inches wide, Provenance: old mid west collection Hand-carved with great old paint and patina an authentic old work of art that is likely unique Lifetime guarantee of authenticity: All of our works of art come with our lifetime authenticity guarantee. Our gallery has been dealing in authentic Native...

Category

Antique 19th Century American Native American Objects

Materials

Granite

Early American Plains Stone Buffalo Hunting Talisman

$4,800

Japanese Massive Ancient Earth, Water, Fire Wind, Stone Gorinto- 300 Years Old

Located in South Burlington, VT

Historically important Ancient Work of Art. 300 Years Old. Massive example. Japan, a fine and massive surviving Gorinto or five-tiered Stupa sculpted in one piece from a gray stone. It dates to the 18th century or before, early to mid Edo period. It is an architectural gem for display in your finest garden place...

Category

Antique 18th Century Japanese Edo Garden Ornaments

Materials

Stone

Japanese Massive Ancient Earth, Water, Fire Wind, Stone Gorinto- 300 Years Old

$3,080 Sale Price

20% Off

Ancient American "Human Effigy" Stone Pipe, Woodland Period

Located in South Burlington, VT

Early American Pre-Historic Human Effigy stone pipe, woodland period, 2500 BP Formerly in the Harold French collection, Amboy, Indiana (photo) All st...

Category

Antique 15th Century and Earlier American Native American Objects

Materials

Stone

Ancient American "Human Effigy" Stone Pipe, Woodland Period

$4,800 Sale Price

43% Off

Native America Ancient Hand Carved Stone Pipe Idol Sculpture

Located in South Burlington, VT

From Native America and a collection dating to 1951, comes this unique old hand carved stone human effigy pipe figure idol , likely Hopewell culture with its bun head and ear spool...

Category

Antique 15th Century and Earlier American Native American Objects

Materials

Stone

Native America Ancient Hand Carved Stone Pipe Idol Sculpture

$3,600 Sale Price

47% Off

Native America Ancient Hand Carved Stone Kachina Effigy Sculpture

Located in South Burlington, VT

From Native America Southwest comes this unique ancient hand carved stone "Kachina" sculpture, Chaco culture, Farmington, New Mexico region. ...

Category

Antique 15th Century and Earlier American Native American Objects

Materials

Stone

Native America Ancient Hand Carved Stone Kachina Effigy Sculpture

$3,840 Sale Price

20% Off

Antique Late 19th Century American Native American Native American Objects

Materials

Other

19th Century Native American Ball Head War Club

$9,000

Inuit Native American Eskimo Signed Stone Carved Walrus Sculpture

By Native American Art

Located in Studio City, CA

A wonderful soapstone carving of a walrus by the indigenous Inuit People who inhabit parts of the arctic regions of Greenland, Canada, and Alaska. Signed ("E.Y.") and numbered/dat...

Category

Mid-20th Century Canadian Native American Sculptures and Carvings

Materials

Soapstone

Inuit Native American Eskimo Signed Stone Carved Walrus Sculpture

$689

Antique Pueblo Native American Old Pawn Ingot Silver Bracelet with Turquoise

By Native American Art

Located in Denver, CO

This vintage Southwestern Native American Pueblo Old Pawn cuff bracelet, dating back to circa 1915, is a stunning example of early 20th-century Native American jewelry. Crafted from ...

Category

Early 20th Century American Native American Native American Objects

Materials

Multi-gemstone, Silver

Antique Pueblo Native American Old Pawn Ingot Silver Bracelet with Turquoise

$2,650

Vintage Native American Navajo Cuff bracelet Silver Turquoise Old Pawn jewellery

Located in London, GB

Fine Vintage Native American Navajo bracelet Silver Turquoise jewellery Fine floral silver work with large turquoise cabochon Circa 1950`s

Category

20th Century American Native American Objects

Materials

Silver

Vintage Native American Navajo Cuff bracelet Silver Turquoise Old Pawn jewellery

$629

Vintage Native American Navajo Sterling silver hat belt Old pawn Jewelry

Located in London, GB

Vintage Native American Navajo Sterling silver hat belt A Navajo Conch hat belt with buckle and 11 conch, each hand crafted with geometric designs, nice old piece. Leather belt l...

Category

20th Century American Native American Objects

Materials

Silver

Vintage Native American Navajo Sterling silver hat belt Old pawn Jewelry

$552

Inuit Native American Eskimo Signed Large Stone Carved Tusked Walrus Sculpture

By Native American Art

Located in Studio City, CA

A wonderful soapstone large, heavy carving of a tusked walrus by the indigenous inuit people who inhabit parts of the Arctic regions of Greenland, Canada, and Alaska. Signed on th...

Category