Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
(Spondylus princes) Pacific Thorny Oyster
shell
Shell, specifically the Pacific thorny oyster, or spondylus shell, was prized for its intense color. The oyster is found in the warm coastal waters off Ecuador and was traded extensively. It was used as a form of currency and as an important ritual offering when crafted into beads or used as inlay.
Exhibitions
| 2015 | Gold of the Ancient Americas. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
Credit Line
Gift of Kathleen Emerson-Dell, 2005
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
2005.69.10