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Pre-Columbian Art, Statuette of a dignitary, Peru, Chimu Culture, 900 - 1200 AD

Dimensions without base: 18.3 x 7.3 cm
Dimensions with base: 20.3 x 7.3 cm
Origin: Peru
Culture: Chimú
Dating: 900 - 1200 AD
Material: Wood
Weight: 190 g
Provenance: Former private provincial collection
Status: Significant Slot to Report

Expertized piece by Mr Jean Roudillon

Rare wooden representation of a dignitary or priest of Chimú culture. He is shown standing erect on short but powerful limbs. The arms are bent at right angles, the hands placed on the abdomen. The disproportionate face welcomes a long straight nose to the protruding ridge. The eyes are signified by cuts, as is the mouth, whose curvature gives the whole a severe look. The skull is covered with a cap, the ears are embellished with jewels and his neck is adorned with a broad pectoral with three rows imitating the jade. The rigid aspect of the work is reinforced by the treatment of the face with excessive proportions as well as by the static pose induced by the lower and upper limbs. Two small holes in the center of the room originally serve as fixing points.

The Chimú civilization is a pre-Columbian civilization located in Peru and more precisely on the North coast. The Chimú people's capital was Chan Chan, a large adobe-built city located in the Mochica Valley near the present-day town of Trujillo. The Inca emperor Tupac Inca Yupanqui conquered the territory of Chimú around the year 1470, 50 years before the arrival of the conquistadores in the region. The Spanish chroniclers were able to describe the Chimú culture from the testimonies of people who lived before the Inca conquest. Archaeological research suggests that the Chimú culture is derived from the remains of Mochica culture. The Chimu were known to worship the moon, unlike the Incas who loved the sun. The Chimu considered the sun as destructive, probably because of the pitiless solar radiation prevailing in the desert where they lived. Offerings were an important part of their religious rites. Seashells of spondylae were frequently used as offerings, they were also used as material by the craftsmen.

Expertized by Jean Roudillon : Jean Roudillon had been an expert for more than 50 years. He is a member of the french syndicate of professional experts of work of arts and collection objects since 1953. His expertise skills include Archaeology, and African, Oceanian and Pre colombian Arts. He is experts accredited to the Land office (State estate) and assessor to the Commission de Conciliation d'Expertise Douanière (Customs Arbitration and Advisory Committee). He participates every year to 40 public sales.

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