Turquois mosaic art in ancient Mexico

by Marshall H. Saville

KNIFE HANDLES OF WOOD WITH MOSAIC DECORATION

PREHISTORIC AND ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUM, ROME

Knife Handles

The next group of objects to be noted consists of knife handles. The beautiful specimen on pl. XXXVIII is in the British Museum. It is a chipped leaf-shape bladed knife of honey-colored chalcedony. The handle is of a soft, light-colored wood, carved in the form of a crouching human figure. The actual socket in which the blade is fixed proceeds from the chest of the figure, which grasps it with a hand on each side, and rests his chin on the top. The socket is firmly bound with cord. The figure and the socket up to the binding have been covered with a mosaic, chiefly of turquois, varied with malachite and white, pink, purple, and orange shell, as well as a few pieces of pearl shell. Much of the mosaic has disappeared. The figure wears an eagle mask, the face appearing in the open jaws. This knife, which measures 12½ inches in length, is one of the most artistic of mosaic specimens.

Fig. 19

Belonging to this class are the two handles on pl. XXXIX, which are in the Museum in Rome. They have been illustrated in colors by Pigorini. Through the interest of Dr. Lothrop we are enabled to present photographs of these two very interesting objects, together with some additional observations concerning them. The first piece (pl. XXXIX, a, and fig. 19 after Pigorini), is in the form of a crouching figure with an animal head and wide-open mouth. It has been described as a knife handle, like the other specimen (b), which is unquestionably of that character, but Dr. Lothrop writes that the front of this piece (a), where the knife blade should be inserted, is smoothly covered with a kind of cement, while in the belly of the figure is a large hole. From Dr. Lothrop’s examination of the specimen he was unable to satisfy himself whether it was a knife handle or was intended to be placed on the head of a staff. The materials used for the incrustation are turquois, reddish shell, dull white shell, mother-of-pearl, and small flakes of gold. In the Pigorini illustration, which represents the side opposite that shown here, two flakes of gold are shown, one in the eye, the other on the arm between elbow and shoulder.

The other piece (pl. XXXIX, b), unquestionably a knife handle, as stated, of the same technique as the specimens in the British Museum, represents a crouching human figure. The materials are turquois, dark-green malachite, white shell, mother-of-pearl, and red shell. Lothrop calls our attention to the tiny pieces of turquois set in shell on the shoulder and in other places. He also states that a portion of a broken chert (?) blade is still imbedded in the socket in front of the figure.

Human Femur Musical Instrument