Description:

Pre-Columbian, North Coast Peru, Chavin culture, ca. 900 to 500 BCE. A fine mace head of a bulky form, hand-carved from dense stone of a dark-brown hue. The cylindrical socketing shaft is ringed with a flared lower rim, and the bulbous head bears four protruding fins interspersed between ringed conical nubbins. Significantly, the Chavin culture does not seem to have been warlike, and their cultural expansion across the landscape was not violent - at least as far as archaeologists can find - until the very end of the period, when maces like this example suddenly become evident. Was this an actual weapon used in war, or was this a status symbol made to be placed into a grave? While many mysteries remain about this early culture, their lapidary prowess is clearly visible. Size: 4.4" W x 4" H (11.2 cm x 10.2 cm)

Provenance: private southwestern Pennsylvania, USA collection

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#150155

  • Condition: Minor chips to body, find, and conical protrusions, with light encrustations, otherwise intact and very good. Light earthen deposits and smooth surfaces throughout.

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October 3, 2019 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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