Pre-Columbian, Peru, Paracas culture, ca. 800 to 100 BCE. A really remarkable item! It is a rarity to have a textile so well preserved. A small doll, stuffed with unknown but soft substance, with a woven body and a darker weave for hair atop its head; woven details also give him a eyes and a nose. His arms and hands are wound with stitched lines that give the impression of joints. There are some ancient-looking patches on the woven material; the irregular stitching on the limbs suggests that the doll was originally made with clothing or some other covering that did not make those immediately visible to the public. Much of what we know of the Paracas culture came from excavations, beginning in the 1920s, of shaft tombs containing multiple burials, with associated pottery and textiles. Burials were done in bundles (and it seems likely that at least the heads were interred, later removed, and reinterred, perhaps as part of regular ceremonies), with textiles wrapping the bodies and holding them in sitting positions; the textiles have given us clues to some aspects of Paracas society. For example, one textile, held by the the Brooklyn Museum, New York City, shows masked and costumed performers dancing while holding stalks, arched vines, or small dolls very similar to this one. So this doll may have been part of a ceremony - or may have just been a toy. Size: 3" W x 4.6" H (7.6 cm x 11.7 cm)

Provenance: Ex-private Hawaii collection

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