Previous image preload Next image preload
Back to catalog
Lot 313A
image_0 image_1 image_2
Rare Mexican Zapotec Ceremonial Glass Rod Necklace from San Pedro Quiatoni
Rare Mexican Zapotec Ceremonial Glass Rod Necklace from San Pedro Quiatoni
image_0 image_1 image_2

Latin America, Mexico, Oaxaca, Zapotec culture, ca. mid-20th century CE. A rare ceremonial necklace from the Zapotec village of San Pedro Quiatoni, where this distinctive form of folk jewelry is made and worn by women on special occasions. The three-strand cotton cord is strung with cobalt, clear, and green glass rod pendants suspended from strands of red glass tubular beads interspersed with beads that appear to span from 19th century trade beads to perhaps the mid-20th century. The cords were traditionally knotted at the nape. Examples of this type rarely appear outside Oaxacan craft markets and serious folk art collections! Size of glass rod: 2.5" L x 0.2" W (6.3 cm L x 0.5 cm W); strand: 12.5" L (31.8 cm L).

San Pedro Quiatoni, a Zapotec community in the eastern Tlacolula district of Oaxaca, is known for this idiosyncratic glass-rod jewelry, in which drawn glass canes are heat-finished at the tips and hung as dangling pendants rather than cut into conventional beads. Older examples frequently incorporate European trade beads, Venetian millefiori and chevron types among them, that circulated through Mexican markets across the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, so a single necklace may assemble glass made over a span of a hundred years or more. The form is regional rather than widely commercial, which accounts for its scarcity outside Oaxaca.

Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection

SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).

PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception.

Item # 203352

  • Condition: Very Good. Some fraying to the knotted cords and discoloration from age and use to cotton. The glass rods are intact. A few older trade beads have chips and pitting.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

ACH, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Auction House will ship, at Buyer's expense

by Artemis Fine Arts
June 25, 2026 9:00 AM MDT
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Artemis Fine Arts

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 30% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000