Pre-Columbian, Northern Peru, Moche, ca. 200-700 CE. This magnificent necklace features goldwork and Spondylus beads. The ancient Peruvians rarely cast gold or silver despite the fact that they had the technology to do so. They collected gold from placer deposits in rivers, but also mined the precious metal from auriferous quartz veins. In pre-Hispanic America gold was used for works of personal adornment such as this necklace and to a lesser degree ritual objects such as beakers and rattles. The Peruvians preferred the hammering process, using stone hammers and anvils to fashion sheet metal, a tradition that had been practiced since the inception of gold working in the second millennium BCE to the time of the Spanish conquest in the sixteenth century. On this piece, the figural pendant was created via this technique and one can see how the sheet was joined on the backside with soldering. The necklace also includes two more cylindrical gold beads with figures impressed in the gold as well as five gold balls comprised of two soldered hemispheres. In addition, the piece includes countless flat, round beads composed of the bright coral, red Spondylus shell. Spondylus, commonly known as the thorny oyster, was highly prized by the ancient Peruvians and of great importance in their ritual and economic life. 34-1/2"L, 36-1/4"L with pendant

Provenance: Ex-Private New York Collection

All items in this auction have been legally acquired, are legal to sell, and guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids, papered by our parent company, Artemis Gallery Ancient Art.

The starting price is the lowest price at which the lot can sell.

Minor surface wear and oxidation on gold, good to excellent condition.