A Costa Rican Marble Bird Mace Head, Greater Nicoya, Period IV, ca. 300 - 500 CE Funerary & Religious Equipment was used to carve a

was used to carve a distinctive type of cosmetic container for a short period between the late seventh and the early sixth century BCE  The elongated form has a deeply fluted exterior and a concave interior

beaked nose

This beautiful intaglio is carved in a piece of bright blue and green striped mosaic glass

first published in 1969

The oval face is accentuated with downcast eyes below gracefully arched eyebrows

A Costa Rican Marble Bird Mace Head, Greater Nicoya, Period IV, ca. 300 - 500 CE Funerary & Religious Equipment was used to carve aCarved from smooth white marble, the round body with a stylized bird head featuring an elongated beak gently carved to indicate a mouth and a raised double head crest along the top of the head. Used as a symbolic object rather than a functional one, mace heads of this type occur in many different materials, sizes, and subjects. Found in most high status graves, mace heads most probably served as identifiers of the person's clan or family through a