Pre-Columbian, North Coast Peru, Moche, ca. 100 to 700 CE. A fascinating pair of large burial sandals, each presenting as a sheet of copper in the form of the sole of a shoe with a narrow, rounded heel that flares out to a broad, slanted toe. Boasting gorgeous layers of patina that range from hues of teal and viridian to russet, these flat sandals would not have been made for everyday wear, but instead intended for the tomb of a royal man or woman. Size (both about the same): 5" W x 10.9" H (12.7 cm x 27.7 cm); 13.4" H (34 cm) on included custom stand.

The Moche believed that the societal identities that gave prominence to individuals in life were maintained after death and, thus, adorned the tombs of deceased royals, priests, and priestesses with symbols of religion and power, as well as artifacts and costumes that allowed them to continue performing their ritual roles in the afterlife. While Moche people with intermediate social rank were buried with just a small leaf of metal in the mouth, royals were typically covered from head to toe in elaborate decorations of copper, gold, and silver - Moche kings have been found wearing gilt copper masks and copper sandals like these examples.

For the Moche, precious metal, like copper, was not a currency used to exchange goods, but rather a material used to display power and perform religious rituals - often one and the same activity. Metals were associated with the supernatural realm, thought to be created by the gods. Due to their value of metal, the Moche people were among the most skilled and innovative metalsmiths in the Americas.

The creation of these sandals was not an easy process in the ancient Andes. Metal sheets needed to be heated and cooled, a process called annealing, to change the rigidity of the metal and make it pliable to shape. A special brazier and many workers would be needed to stoke the fire and hammer the sheet to the desired thickness, and such metalwork would be costly to commission.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection, 1995 to 2010; ex-Colin Arundel collection; ex-Ian Arundel collection, The Old Curiosity Shop, Los Angeles, California, USA, collected 1950 to 1970

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#171845

Areas of restoration to left sandal, mostly near center of front and back. Both have abraded and eroded surfaces, commensurate with age. Otherwise, right sandal is intact, and both have impressively preserved forms. Rich layers of green patina throughout.