Description:

Pre-Columbian, Peru (North Coast), Moche Culture, ca. 100 to 700 CE. A hammered 14 karat gold sheet nose pendant in the form of a crescent with raised dots around the outer border and raised spirals on the interior. Two thin cylinders at the top of the crescent serve as the hooks for holding it into the nose. Such an item must have been tremendously heavy to wear! Size: 3.8" W x 3.2" H (9.7 cm x 8.1 cm); 15.2 grams

The crescent form of this object mirrors that of many known Moche gold items - headdresses and pectorals also had the crescent form, and they derive much of their impressiveness from the wide reflective surface they present to the viewer. Beyond the purely aesthetic, this shape may also connect to beliefs about the moon - we know that among the later Inca, Si, the moon goddess, was thought to be more powerful than the sun because she could be seen both at night and during the day. This object probably belonged to a male, because in ancient Peru, gold seems to have been reserved for elite men, while silver was reserved for elite women.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection

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#125073

  • Condition: Slight bending to edges and encrustations on surface, especially back surface.

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March 1, 2018 7:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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