Description:

Pre-Columbian, Northern Peru, Chavin culture, ca. 900 to 200 BCE. An enchanting mirror, carved from a single piece of anthracite stone, featuring a domed verso laterally drilled for suspension, and a flat face that is highly polished. The surface is like glass, silky smooth - the blackness of the anthracite creates an otherworldly softness to the reflection. The process to polish a stone to such a high level of reflectivity so that it retains its mirror qualities after nearly 2000 years is utterly remarkable! Mirrors were prized by the ancients of the Americas and believed to serve as portals to the celestial realm, treasured for their divinatory, healing, as well as decorative properties. Size: 4.75" Diameter x 1" W (12.1 cm x 2.5 cm)

For a similar example please see The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, website, object number: 2001.1284.

Provenance: ex-Marc Amiguet Schmitt estate, Amiguet's Ancient Art, Evansville, Indiana, USA, acquired prior to January 1, 2010

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#174825

  • Condition: Chips and hairline fissures throughout as shown. Red cinnabar pigments in recessed areas and drilled suspension hole. Highly reflective and lustrous surface.

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November 10, 2022 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
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