Description:

Pre-Columbian, Peru-Ecuador Border, Frias Culture, ca. 500-100 BCE. Four miniature picaflores, Spanish for hummingbirds, made from pure gold collected from nuggets found in rivers. To the ancients of the Pre-Columbian world, hummingbirds were associated with the sun.  Appreciated for its shiny, iridescent feathering and aerial acrobatics, the hummingbird made for the ideal solar metaphor.  Since these birds are known to hover, seemingly motionless, and fly up, down and even backwards, the ancients likened its motions to that of the sun's hovering in the sky at the solstices when it is also known to reverse its celestial direction.  In addition, hummingbirds can assume a torpid state when it is cold at night or during brief periods in the winter.  However, they come back to life in the spring warmth.  This unique ability to "die" and "resurrect" signified rebirth to the ancients of the Americas, precisely at a time when planting and, in this sense, "renewed life" occurred.  How magical!  Size: Each measures 1-1/4" - 1-1/2" L. Custom, museum-quality stand in the form of a lovely tree. Provenance: Ex-Laurence Witten Collection, Ohio, acquired in the 1980s. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. #101548

  • Condition: Excellent condition.

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February 13, 2015 9:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,000
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $25,000