Description:

**Originally listed at 800**

Pre-Columbian, Peru, Chancay culture, ca. 1000 to 1450 CE. This is a false head, made of a woven textile -- cotton -- painted case; the front mask is decorated with a stylized face, wood applique nose and painted eyes; the headband has additional fabric and human hair behind. The mask is stuffed with original leaf/vegetation filling. A head like this one would have capped a mummy bundle, which was a common item in ancient Peru. Very similar items to these were found near the coast, at Pachamacac, by Max Uhle in 1896: false heads placed atop the funereal bundles of, in the case of that find, mummified children. In these bundles were jumbled skeletons; much of the mummification in this region is caused naturally by the environmental conditions. There is a very similar piece held by the Walters in Baltimore. Size: 9" W x 14" H (22.9 cm x 35.6 cm)

Provenance: Ex-Art for Eternity / Howard Nowes, ex-private New York Collection

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#113698

  • Condition: Beautiful condition for ancient textiles; complete with remaining hair; obviously the piece is fragile but this is a very fine example.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Shipping

Auction House will ship, at Buyer's expense

June 26, 2017 9:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 24.5% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,000
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $25,000