**Originally Listed At $950**
Pre-Columbian, Central Coast Peru, Chancay, ca. 1300 CE. Wow! Preserved wooden objects that are centuries old always shock me - and this one is in beautiful condition, with it motifs perfectly preserved. The box has a long, rectangular profile, with tall sides and thin walls. A fitted lid sits atop it, and there are small perforations in the sides of body and lid. Incised decoration covers the box: three pelicans, set within diamonds and surrounded by pyramid steps and concentric circles. The sides of the box feature combination anthropomorphic/zoomorphic creatures with massive crested, feathered headdresses; they are carved within rectangular borders, surrounded by further geometric motifs. Size: 3.6" L x 9.2" W x 4.3" H (9.1 cm x 23.4 cm x 10.9 cm)
A huge variety of birds appears in ancient Andean artwork, often depicted in ways that both emphasized supernatural qualities they were believed to have but also showing that the artisans were familiar with what real birds of many species looked like. To the Chancay, birds signified prestige. They are never anthropomorphized, but instead appear in stylized, repeated, geometric patterns. Pelicans, in particular, were thought to have the ability to dive into the world of the ancestors, and were common decorations on Chancay artwork.
Provenance: private New York Collection, begun in 1966; ex-Tepper Gallery, March 2002; ex Sotheby's November 24, 1997, Lot 108
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#151377
Condition
The wood is weathered, with some stable fissures, notably on the front and top of the lid and low on the left side of the body. Great preservation of motifs with rich patina. The string holding the lid to the body is modern.