Pre-Columbian, Northern Coast of Peru, Chavin culture, ca. 900 to 500 BCE. A rectangular stone bead exhibiting a pair of stylized feline heads, perhaps jaguars, in hues of green, turquoise, and cream. Each feline countenance presents with bulging eyes, spiraling ears, a powerful snout, and thick lips, all adorned with faint remains of red pigment. A slender suspension hole drilled lengthwise through the center. Size: 1.51" L x 0.68" W x 0.46" H (3.8 cm x 1.7 cm x 1.2 cm)

The Chavin people lived in the northern Highland Andes, and their capital, Chavin de Huantar, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The artwork of Chavin represents the first widespread style in the Andes. The center of Chavin de Huantar is a massive, flat-topped pyramid, surrounded by lower platforms. Between 1200 and 500 BCE the pyramid space was used for religious ceremonies. The Old Temple, constructed very early in the history of the site, consists of a series of passageways built around a circular courtyard; within were carved stone monuments showing jaguars, serpents, and other figures. At the very center is a towering stone stela depicting an anthropomorphic figure with a jaguar head and a human body, believed to be Lanzon, the chief deity of Chavin. Researchers believe that worshippers ingested hallucinogenic drugs and then were led in the dark through the labyrinthine passageways before entering the central courtyard and coming abruptly face-to-face with the snarling features of the god.

Provenance: private Superior, Colorado, USA collection, acquired around 2010; ex-Fort Knox Antiques, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA

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#179954

Abrasions and small chips, with softening to some finer details on feline heads, and light earthen deposits, otherwise intact and excellent. Great surface smoothness throughout.