Moche 15K+ Gold Pectoral, Tumi-Shaped w/ Shaman

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Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic

By Artemis Gallery

Feb 13, 2020

Set Reminder 2020-02-13 10:00:00 2020-02-13 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-asian-ethnographic-4848
An important one-day auction featuring museum-worthy examples of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Near Eastern, Far East / Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Russian, Fossils, Ancient Jewelry, Fine Art, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  Pre-Columbian, North Coast Peru, Moche, Loma Negra, ca. 100 to 300 CE. An exceedingly rare and massive 15K+ gold (67% gold) tumi-shaped pectoral, extensively decorated in repousse with a standing lord or shaman at the center, sporting wings (suggesting that he is perhaps in a transformative state), a grand plumed headdress, a feathered skirt, and large earspools; a band below featuring four running warriors or hunters with weapons in their hands flanked by a pair of jaguars; below this is a band of cresting wave motifs; and finally, the entire piece is framed by a 'beaded' border. An incredible example of luxury art created by the Moche, replete with impressive artistry, sizeable form, and intriguing iconography. Size: 8.75" W x 5.75" H (22.2 cm x 14.6 cm); 7.5" H (19 cm) on included custom stand. Gold quality: 67%, equivalent to 15K+.
  
  Any goldwork from the Moche is exceedingly rare, as their treasures were targeted by plunderers during Colonial times. Heidi King of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York offers the following explanation in "The Art of Precolumbian Gold": "The Mochica or Moche as they are also known, built their capital in the dry, coastal valley of Moche, where the main construction was the Huaca del Sol, the so-called Pyramid of the Sun, the largest adobe structure built in Pre-Columbian South America. The great pyramid, made of over 143 million adobe bricks, was clearly visible and easily accessible during Colonial times, and it received extraordinary attentions from early treasure hunters (Bray this volume). As a result of such attentions, little of the wealth in precious metals that the Moche peoples are believed to have possessed remains in its ancient form today. Those works that do remain are all the more important because of their rarity." (The Art of Precolumbian Gold: The Jan Mitchell Collection" edited by Julie Jones. Boston: Little Brown & Company, 1985, p. 212)
  
  Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-Fred Eiserman collection established between the 1950s and 1970s, Houston, Texas, USA
  
  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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  #146665

  Condition

  Two perforations at the upper end for attachment or suspension. Small fissure below these. Normal surface wear and indentations commensurate with age. Unable to weigh as set on museum-quality stand.
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