Pre-Columbian, North Coast Peru, Chavin culture, ca. 1200 to 500 BCE. A petite amulet of a tapered rectangular form, hand-carved from a fragment of human bone. The pendant depicts an expressive, right-facing head of a jaguar god with bared teeth, a bulbous nose, and a furrowed brow. A slender nacre fragment is set into the eye socket with a square pupil formed from lapis lazuli that imbues a sense of movement into the otherwise stationary face. Areas of vivid red cinnabar accentuate the mottled beige-hued patina that has formed across this fine example from ancient Peru! Size: 0.75" W x 1.4" H (1.9 cm x 3.6 cm); 3.375" H (8.6 cm) on included custom stand.

The Chavin people lived in the northern Highland Andes, and their capital, Chavin de Huantar, is an 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 with transformative and/or anthropomorphic features. 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 Hawaii, USA collection; ex-private Hans Juergen Westermann collection, Germany

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#148243

Repaired from several petite pieces, with small losses, and light adhesive residue along break lines. Minor nicks to obverse, peripheries, and verso, with softening to some finer details, fading to original red cinnabar pigment, and losses to some inlays along forehead and back of head above ear. Light earthen deposits and wonderful patina throughout.