Description:

Pre-Columbian, Peru (North Coast), Moche Culture, ca. 100 to 700 CE. A hammered high karat gold sheet nose pendant in the form of a crescent with raised linear decorations on the body, creating a diamond pattern surrounded by angular lines. Two thin cylinders at the top of the crescent serve as the hooks for holding it into the nose. Size: 2.1" W x 1.95" H (5.3 cm x 5 cm); Quality of Gold: 79% (equivalent to 19K); 6.5 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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#125083

  • Condition: Slight bending to form.

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November 14, 2019 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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