Pre-Columbian, South Coast Peru, Nazca, ca. 100 to 300 CE. A dazzling pair of golden tupus - ancient Andean versions of brooches or shawl pins - of minimalistic forms. Both stunning implements boast lengthy, slender pins that taper to a sharp points at one end and are topped by double-orbed finials at the other. The larger pin is comprised of 48% gold (equivalent to greater than 11 karats), while the smaller is 55% gold (equivalent to greater than 13 karats). Quality of gold: 48% (11K+) & 55% (13K+); Size of largest: 0.375" W x 6.375" H (1 cm x 16.2 cm); 8.5" H (21.6 cm) on included custom stand; Weight: larger tupu: 4.9 grams, smaller tupu: 2.7 grams

According to Bryan Cockrell, Curatorial Fellow, Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, 2017 of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, "While the production of tupus has existed over two millennia in the Andes, it is important to recognize the ways in which their use extends beyond 'pins,' and the ways in which scholars have interpreted the uses of these objects. 'Tupu' (also spelled 'topu' or 'topo') could refer to a pin, but also to a measurement. In the ayllu, or local community, of Qaqachaka in Bolivia, tupus are currently used to make agricultural measurements, level out earth, build irrigation canals, and mark the boundaries of territories (Fernandez 2015, 11). Alternatively, Rinque (2012, 13) ascribes the meaning of tupu as measurement 'to the standard used in exchanging the valuable dyes people used for wool' ('al patron utilizado para el intercambio de las valiosas tinturas para el tenido de la lana'). It is interesting to recognize this last meaning of 'tupu' considering that many tupus appear to have been prepared from stock metal. Furthermore, this raises the question of how the metal used to make them was part of a wider network of exchange. Rinque (2012, 13) notes that Aymara and Mapuche peoples have historically traded dyes for other materials, including minerals."

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-Gary Drimmer collection, Chicago, Illinois, USA, acquired from 1950 to 1960

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#161534

Light bending to body and indentations to finial of larger pin. Otherwise, both are intact and excellent.