Lot 59

Taino Conch Shell Zemi Carving with Turtle Crest

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Lot 59
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Taino Conch Shell Zemi Carving with Turtle Crest
Taino Conch Shell Zemi Carving with Turtle Crest
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Taino Conch Shell Zemi Carving with Turtle Crest

Estimate: $1,200 - $1,800
by Artemis Fine Arts
June 25, 2026 9:00 AM MDT (In Progress)
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Pre-Columbian, Caribbean, Taino, ca. 1000–1500 CE. A finely worked conch shell carving rendering a zemi, the spirit-vessel through which the Taino addressed their pantheon and ancestors. The triangular face emerges from the natural curve of the shell with hollowed eyes, an open ovoid mouth, and incised geometric registers, bands of chevrons, lozenges, and parallel lines that descend like ceremonial paint across the brow, cheeks, and chin. Atop the head perches a small turtle in low relief, its limbs and carapace neatly articulated, an animal long associated in Antillean cosmology with creation, fertility, and the emergence of land from the sea.

Zemis served as the material focus of Taino devotion, housing the indwelling power of deities, deified ancestors, or natural forces. They were consulted by caciques and behiques during cohoba rituals, fed offerings, and addressed in song. Carved from conch (Strombus gigas), a material drawn from the surrounding Caribbean waters and prized for its luminous interior and ivory-like density, this example unites two potent symbols: the anthropomorphic spirit face and the turtle, perhaps an allusion to the myth in which the culture hero Deminan fathered the first turtle, from whom human society descended.

The piece is mounted on a custom display stand. Size: 2.1" W x 3" H x 1.8" D (5.3 cm W x 7.6 cm H x 4.6 cm D); on included custom stand: 4.6" H (11.7 cm H).

Provenance: ex-private collection, Fairhaven, Massachusetts, USA, collected from 2010 to 2015

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Item # 202087

  • Condition: Very Good. Missing top. Weathering and abrasions as shown, all commensurate with age. Impressive remaining detail with light patina to surface.

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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