Pre-Columbian, Peru, Nazca/Wari, ca. 0 to 1000 CE. This is a paper-thin hammered gold sheet with holes along either side to insert string or thin strips of leather to attach it to the arm. In Ancient Peru, as today, gold meant power: emperors wore it, but commoners were not even allowed to own it. Nazca/Wari gold extraction techniques are still practiced today in the village of Nazca, where ore is processed by standing atop a wooden platform secured to huge boulder and rocking back and forth above a large vat filled with water, mercury, and increasing amounts of broken ore. As the ore is ground more finely, the lesser-quality gold is attracted to the mercury and settles, allowing it to be separated from the higher quality metal (there are videos online of people doing this -- well worth a view!). A very similar piece to this one is held by the University of Missouri Museum of Art and Archaeology. Size: 3" W x 6.85" H (7.6 cm x 17.4 cm)

Provenance: Ex Boston, MA collection acquired before 1975

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#112655

Creases and a few minor tears, nice reddish brown patina