Moche Royal Gold Ear Spools (pr)
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Description
Pre-Columbian, Peru, Moche, ca. 100 to 600 CE. A stunning pair of 14K gold ear ornaments of very large, circular forms - each one adorned by numerous attached circular danglers. Just imagine a lord or shaman wearing these while standing atop a pyramid - his people virtually blinded by the reflection off these dazzlers! Size: ear spool on the right measures 2.7" in diameter (6.9 cm) & ear spool on the left measures 2.625" in diameter (6.7 cm); 5" H (12.7 cm) on included custom stand.
It should be noted that 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 Eugene Lions Collection, Geneve, Switzerland
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.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#132525
It should be noted that 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 Eugene Lions Collection, Geneve, Switzerland
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.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#132525
Condition
All danglers are present. Normal tarnish to surfaces. One ear ornament has a section of the backing (with losses) in place. The other has no backing.
Buyer's Premium
- 24.5%
Moche Royal Gold Ear Spools (pr)
Estimate $9,000 - $13,500
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Item located in Louisville, CO, usOffers In-House Shipping
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