Tubular Bead500 BCE–100 CE

On view:

David Geffen Galleries, Stonework from Mesoamerica and the Caribbean Coast

No image

Title: Tubular Bead
Culture: Mezcala
Place Made: Mexico, Guerrero
Date Made: 500 BCE–100 CE
Medium: Greenstone
Dimensions: Height: 4 5/16 in. (11 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Constance McCormick Fearing
Accession Number: M.2023.61.531
Classification: Jewelry and Adornments
Collecting Area: Art of the Ancient Americas
Curatorial Notes: This tubular greenstone bead, perforated lengthwise, comes from the mountainous state of Guerrero, along Mexico’s Pacific coast. The region is known for both its unique cultural traditions, such as Mezcala, as well as its connections with other major Mesoamerican cultures, such as the Gulf Coast Olmec. This Olmec-style bead underscores the widespread adoption and mastery of Olmec stone carving and artistic techniques, and demonstrates how the Indigenous peoples of West Mexico shared in fundamental Mesoamerican values, in particular the investment in and use of jade jewels as prestige items.

Alyce de Carteret

2025

On view:

David Geffen Galleries, Stonework from Mesoamerica and the Caribbean Coast

No image

Title: Tubular Bead
Culture: Mezcala
Place Made: Mexico, Guerrero
Date Made: 500 BCE–100 CE
Medium: Greenstone
Dimensions: Height: 4 5/16 in. (11 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Constance McCormick Fearing
Accession Number: M.2023.61.531
Classification: Jewelry and Adornments
Collecting Area: Art of the Ancient Americas
Curatorial Notes: This tubular greenstone bead, perforated lengthwise, comes from the mountainous state of Guerrero, along Mexico’s Pacific coast. The region is known for both its unique cultural traditions, such as Mezcala, as well as its connections with other major Mesoamerican cultures, such as the Gulf Coast Olmec. This Olmec-style bead underscores the widespread adoption and mastery of Olmec stone carving and artistic techniques, and demonstrates how the Indigenous peoples of West Mexico shared in fundamental Mesoamerican values, in particular the investment in and use of jade jewels as prestige items.

Alyce de Carteret

2025