Pre-Columbian, South America, Argentina or Chile, Mapuche culture, ca. 1200 to 1700 CE. A hand-carved stone ceremonial scepter known as a clava depicting the abstract head of a macaw. The lunate finial bears a pair of protruding circular eyes behind a carved-out gap meant to represent the bird's open beak. The eyes are also incised with intersecting lines perhaps representing the four cardinal directions terminating in arrow-like motifs; the contours of the crescent head are also incised; and the surfaces are polished to achieve a pleasing smoothness. Mapuche shamans held scepters like this example by their handles while they were attached to their wrists via knotted threads strung through a drilled hole; however, a perforation through the handle is absent on this clava. A great lapidary example from the ancient Mapuche! Size: 1.875" L x 6" W x 9.875" H (4.8 cm x 15.2 cm x 25.1 cm); 9.625" H (24.4 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-Ian Arundel collection, California, USA, the Old Curiosity Cabinet, Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, California, USA, collected 1950-1970

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#162869

Chips to peripheries as shown. Surface wear commensurate with age, but incised details are well preserved. Scattered deposits.