Description:

Pre-Columbian, Northern Peru, Chimu/Inca, pre-15th Century CE, with contemporary assembly. The highlight of this necklace is the figural pendant that tellingly features turquoise eyes and a turquoise pectoral mirror. Scholarly research has shown that Pre-Columbian cultures wore jewelry to demonstrate rank and social order. According to one ancient chronicler ". . . everything is strictly regulated according to a hierarchical order: only the emperor can wear turquoise in his nose . . ." While not a nose ornament, the inclusion of turquoise in t his piece points to signification of elite status of the figure being represented and perhaps the wearer. Mirrors in Mesoamerican culture were believed to serve as portals to a realm with which one could not interact. Fashioned from stone, mirrors in Pre-Columbian times served a range of uses from decorative to divinatory - metaphors for sacred caves, conduits for supernatural forces, fiery hearths, and the list goes on. Mirrors were frequently worn as pectorals on the chest, a practice that stems back to Olmecs. For instance at Tomb A at La Venta dating back to 600 be, a seated female donning an obsidian mirror on her chest was recovered. Necklace itself measures 30"L (32-3/4"L with pendant and suspension for pendant). Provenance: Ex-Virginia Gamba Collection All items in this auction are legal to buy/sell under U.S. statute covering cultural patrimony per United States Code 2600, CHAPTER 14 -- CONVENTION ON CULTURAL PROPERTY, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

  • Condition: Wearable

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April 16, 2014 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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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