Description:

Pre-Columbian, Peru (North Coast), Moche Culture, ca. 400 to 800 CE. A collection of forty-three 20 karat gold beads (the gold composition of each has slight variations due to ancient refining methods) made by bending, twisting, and folding gold sheet. Eleven are long, cylindrical beads, stamped to have bulbous projections that call to mind toad skin. The others are an assortment of smaller beads, including multi-segmented ones, cuboids, and spheroids. All have been restrung on a modern cord to make the piece wearable today! Length of strand: 18" L (45.7 cm); each cylindrical bead is approximately 1" (2.5 cm); 22.9 grams

We know that the Moche wore jewelry like this in the grave; they may also have worn it in life. The use of gold suggests that this belonged to royalty. For the Moche, precious metal was not a currency used to exchange goods, but rather a material used to display power and perform religious rituals - often one and the same activity. Metals were associated with the supernatural realm, thought to be created by the gods.

Provenance: private San Francisco, California, USA collection

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#136717

  • Condition: Each bead is made from gold sheet, and as such they are fragile, with some bending to form. Beads have been restrung on a modern cord.

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August 30, 2018 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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