Description:

Pre-Columbian, North Coast Peru, Viru culture, ca. 500 BCE - 300 BCE. This charming Viru sculpture depicts a male figure rowing a raft with a fruit tree adorning the far end of the raft. The piece is comprised of cast and hammered sheet metal - copper and/or bronze given the green oxidation. The Viru Valley is a landscape bordered by the Andes Mountains to its east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. So the artist captured that coastal landscape in this example. The figure is represented in a characteristically stylized fashion with sharply delineated angular limbs and an equally angular visage that seems to represent an upside-down stepped pyramid that is further adorned with trapezoidal ear danglers. Note the attention to detail! Look closely at his chest for instance - one can actually see his ribcage and nipples that are exaggerated due to his strenuous exertion as he rows the raft. Note his charming facial features; for that matter even the young man's toes are delineated. Beyond the figure, the artist also created a context with the raft and a bit of local landscape as the rower is gazing at an example of the flora of his land, a small tree that is bursting with fruit. Rare and endearing piece! Custom, museum-quality stand. Oar is a separate cast piece. ~ 3"H x 4"L

Provenance: Ex-Bill Freeman Collection, New Mexico

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.

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  • Condition: Tree was reattached. Oxidized surface to be expected given its age. Good condition.

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October 24, 2014 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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$2,000 $4,999 $250
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$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $25,000