Pre-Columbian, South Coast Peru, Nazca culture, ca. 100 BCE to 1000 CE. A magnificent wood carving of a male prisoner with inlays of nacre shells (mother of pearl). The man’s body displays a stylized form carved from a bowed and cylindrical piece of wood. The man stands upright on stocky legs and prominent genitalia. His arms are bent at an unnatural angle and lashed behind his back to an integral pole; note the incised lines indicating ropes binding his wrists. His stylized face is incised with a grimacing, toothy mouth and a broad nose under a headdress. The headdress is inlaid with three circular discs of iridescent nacre shells that contrast beautifully with the dark wood. Two suspension holes are drilled through the top and bottom of the figure. Prisoners were typically stripped of their clothing, finery, and any aesthetic attribute that denoted them as being of equal standing with their captors, however this figure still wears his headdress, perhaps indicating his importance as a captive to use for bargaining. Size: 5.5" L x 1.75" W (14 cm x 4.4 cm)

Provenance: ex-private Drimmer collection, Florida, USA, before 1965

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#165201

Stable pressure fissures on body and head. Abrasion and cavity on face. Chip and loss to feet. Chips to shell inlays. Age expected weathering and surface wear, otherwise intact. Nice patina! Modern wire through piercing for suspension.