**Originally Listed At $7500**

Pre-Columbian, Peru and Ecuador, Inca Empire, ca. 1300 to 1500 CE. A stone game board in the form of a Chimu or Inca fortress depicting tiered structures as well as smaller quadrangular plots surrounding a central rectangle. Though the objective and name of the game are unclear, scholars have some general ideas on how and why the game was played. The game, known as tauva, chuke, or kima among its more popular names, was played in the high Andes regions to pass time and vie for crucial resources during the challenging wintery months. Playing the game involved casting carved-wooden ‘dice’ in a rapid manner to perhaps move game pieces from one end of the board to another, and winning the game by one or more players symbolically multiplied the resources and increased the spiritual favors of everyone in the community. While many game boards like this example have been observed to be made from wood, this stone board is one of extreme scarcity due to its size and state of preservation. Size: 25.625" L x 17.5" W x 5.25" H (65.1 cm x 44.4 cm x 13.3 cm)

Cf. Hoffmann, Carmen Arellano. "The game of chuncana among the Chimu. A wooden board that tests Erland Nordenskiold's hypothesis." Bulletin de l'Institut francais d'etudes andines [Online], 32 (2), 2003, pp. 317-345, Ch. 3, fig. 13b.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-Colin Arundel, acquired by descent from Ian Arundel who owned Old Curiosity Shop on Melrose Avenue, Los Angles, California, USA, acquired 1950 to 1960

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.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.

Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.

#143418

Old chips and losses to the peripheries, and normal surface wear commensurate with age. Otherwise excellent.