Pre-Columbian, Central Coast Peru, Chancay, Late Intermediate to Late Horizon, ca. 1100 to 1550 CE. An incredible wood and textile funerary figure of a standing man, the size of a small child, with articulated arms and painted face. The painted head is supported by a flattened body, featuring a minimalist visage comprised of raised, triangular eyes beneath a heavy brow, protruding nose, and a petite mouth cavity. He is outfitted with a miniature woven tunic, pouch, and belt or headband strap made from camelid wool of alpaca or llama. Size: 7" W x 28" H (17.8 cm x 71.1 cm)

Chancay wood carvings are best known for their simple forms and sober visages using wood found in their coastal deserts to create decorative objects such as masks and statues. Scholars believe that such figures and cloth dolls were created to represent mortals rather than supernatural deities or spirits and such figures dressed in textiles are often found in tombs, their purpose is unclear, but it is probable they represented family members or servants to accompany the deceased to the afterlife.

Provenance: ex-private Bishop Family Trust collection, the Trust of the late Bill Bishop, a noted antiquarian with shops in Scottsdale, Arizona and Allenspark, Colorado, USA, acquired before 2010

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#173183

Tearing and perforations to woven tunic textile and strap. Fading to woven bag, but otherwise intact. Stable pressure fissures to wood losses to hands. Arms reattached with modern cords and metal support band added to waist. Nice patina and remains of facial pigments.