Description:

Pre-Columbian, South America, Argentina or Chile, Mapuche culture, ca. 1200 to 1700 CE. A hand-carved stone ceremonial scepter known as a clava depicting the abstract head of a macaw. The lunate finial bears a pair of protruding circular eyes behind a carved-out gap meant to represent the bird's open beak. Broadly incised striations intersect atop the finial and stocky handle to imbue the clava with abstract 'feathers,' and the surfaces are polished to achieve a pleasing smoothness. Mapuche shamans held scepters like this example by their handles while they were attached to their wrists via knotted threads strung through a drilled hole, however a perforation through the handle is absent on this clava. A great lapidary example from the ancient Mapuche! Size: 9.5" L x 5.9" W (24.1 cm x 15 cm); 9.625" H (24.4 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-Bill Freeman collection, New Mexico, USA formed between 1950 and 2000

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#157075

  • Condition: Repairs to handle in small area on lower tip as well as just beneath clava body, with nearly invisible resurfacing and overpainting along break lines. Minor abrasions to handle and head, with softening to eyes and some incised details. Great surface smoothness throughout.

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November 19, 2020 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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