An Unusual Early Animal Stone Fetish

Item: 1302

Origin: Pueblo
Date: 19th or earlier, possibly prehistoric

Media: Stone, pigment paints

Dimensions: 5″ long, 4.25″ tall, 1.5″wide

Description: This form is clearly animal, but what type is unknown. There are points on the back which might make it a porcupine. Or it could be a bear and the points were there as a piece of the original rock. This may be a concretion; an object that already looked like something and then was augmented to accentuate the form. All of the surfaces appear to be the same in terms of patina and wear.  It is because of this that I consider it to be very old.  One side has been painted with two colors.  The top color, which includes the back of the head, is a dark brown.  The second color is a burnt red and is in the lower half of the body as well as the front of the head.  The band of color in the middle is likely the original stone color. The red is painted around the edges and goes on the opposite side by about 1/4″.

Condition:  Condition is very good with surface wear.

Price: SOLD