Taíno mortar pestles

30 October 2020

Carved in a volcanic stone in the shape of stylized birds, such pilars come from the Greater Antilles (maybe from today Dominican Republic) where Taíno culture flourished from 800 to 1520. They would have been used to grind the ingredients for ritual preparations, probably substances of magical-religious character.

To learn more on Taíno culture, read the article by José R. Oliver and Colin McEwan, “The Caribbean before Columbus” published in Arts & Cultures 2009, pp. 92-101.

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Mortar pestle. Taíno culture, Greater Antilles (Dominican Republic). 11th to 15th century. Volcanic stone. H. 12.5 cm. Former Paul de Givenchy (between 1880 and 1920), Charles Ratton (1938-1939) and Josef Mueller (acquired before 1942) collections. Inv. 526-12. Musée Barbier-Mueller, photo Luis Lourenço.
Mortar pestle. Taíno culture, Greater Antilles (Dominican Republic). 11th to 15th century. Volcanic stone. H. 12.5 cm. Former Paul de Givenchy (between 1880 and 1920), Charles Ratton (1938-1939) and Josef Mueller (acquired before 1942) collections. Inv. 526-13. Musée Barbier-Mueller, photo Luis Lourenço.
Mortar pestle. Taíno culture, Greater Antilles (Dominican Republic). 11th to 15th century. Volcanic stone. H. 13 cm. Inv. 526-33. Musée Barbier-Mueller, photo Luis Lourenço.