gems, jade, jadeite, fei cui, Mesoamerica, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mayans, Olmecs, Aztecs, archaeology, history, archaeogemology, Pre-Columbian jade; Costa Rica; Maya; exchange; iconography, lapidary

The Yale University Art Gallery collection of Pre-Columbian art, though relatively small, is remarkably distinguished. Like many university collections, it includes both treasures and rarities as well as study materials. A substantial portion of the collection came to Yale over the years through the generosity of Fred Olsen and his wife, together with their foundation. Another large group of objects was acquired through purchase in 1973. For more than a decade, George Kubler, one of the most highly respected scholars in the fields of Spanish and Pre-Columbian art, conducted seminars at Yale in which graduate and undergraduate students were assigned to study, identify, and interpret objects in the museum’s collection. This handbook, containing commentaries on the most important works of art, serves both as a checklist of the entire collection and as the first comprehensive publication devoted to the Art Gallery’s Mesoamerican holdings in Pre-Columbian art. The institution expresses its gratitude to Professor Kubler for undertaking the project and for supervising the research of many younger scholars.