Lot 60

Taino Greenstone Serpent Vomit Spatula

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Lot 60
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Taino Greenstone Serpent Vomit Spatula
Taino Greenstone Serpent Vomit Spatula
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Taino Greenstone Serpent Vomit Spatula

Estimate: $1,200 - $1,800

Current Bid: $600

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

Pre-Columbian, Dominican Republic, Taino, ca. 1000–1500 CE. A finely worked greenstone implement carved into the sinuous form of a serpent, its tapered body polished to a deep mottled green and its head modeled with rounded snout, parted lips, and lentoid eyes that gaze forward in serene alertness. The stone retains warm earthen blushes where mineral inclusions have weathered to ochre, lending the creature a living patina. The blade-like body narrows into a smoothly burnished tongue, an instrument intended to be drawn down the user's throat.

Such spatulas occupied a central place in the cohoba ceremony, the visionary rite by which Taino caciques and behiques (shaman-priests) communed with the cemis, the ancestral and elemental spirits of the Greater Antilles. Before inhaling the pulverized seeds of Anadenanthera through paired tubular snuffers, the participant purged the body by inducing vomiting with a smooth, often zoomorphic stick, cleansing the vessel so that the sacred substance might enter unimpeded. Serpents in Taino cosmology mediated between worlds, gliding between water, earth, and the underworld of Coaybay, and their likeness on a ritual implement of purification carried obvious resonance: a creature that itself sheds and renews, guiding the supplicant into altered states.

Few materials commanded the reverence accorded to greenstone in the Antillean world, prized for its rarity, its cool weight, and its association with fertility and vital essence. To carve such a piece without metal tools, by abrasion alone, was the labor of many hands and many days, and the resulting object would have been an heirloom of the chiefly elite. Size: 7.3" L x 1.8" W (18.5 cm L x 4.6 cm W); on included custom stand: 3.5" H (8.9 cm H).

Please note this item may fall under the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act and may not be eligible for international shipping. Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian objects are only eligible to ship within the United States.

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

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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 # 198507

  • Condition: Excellent. Some weathering, nicks, and abrasions, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, intact and excellent with smooth surface and earthen deposits in recessed areas.

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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