Description:

Pre-Columbian, North Coast Peru, Chavin, ca. 900 to 200 BCE. A large mace head of an intriguing presentation, hand-carved from mottled brown stone with beige and black inclusions. The weapon has a cylindrical body, a central hafting slot for attaching a long wooden pole, and a quartet of sweeping diagonal fins. Intriguingly, scholars posit that the Chavin culture does not seem to have been warlike, and their cultural expansion across the landscape was non-violent until the very end of the period. Was this an actual weapon used in war, a ceremonial tool, a ritual instrument, or a status symbol made to be put into a grave? Many mysteries about this early culture remain, though examples of carved stone like this bear witness to their artistic prowess. Size: 4.7" W x 4.25" H (11.9 cm x 10.8 cm).

Provenance: private Pennsylvania, USA collection

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#144779

  • Condition: Small chips and abrasions to fins, body, and base, otherwise intact and very good. Light earthen deposits throughout.

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April 4, 2019 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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