**Originally Listed At $500**

Pre-Columbian, Peru (North Coast), Moche Culture, ca. 100 to 700 CE. A long, narrow copper axe blade with a flared half-circle at the bottom. Crouched atop it, cast as a single piece, is a male figure, nude aside from a rounded headdress. A perforation through the neck makes this a curious figure. The edges of the blade are very slightly sharpened, but this object almost certainly served a votive function and was not used as a weapon or tool. Size: 2.45" W x 6.75" H (6.2 cm x 17.1 cm); 7.5" H (19 cm) on included custom stand.

The tumi was sometimes used to sacrifice llamas to the Sun. The Paracas people, also from the Andes, used the tumi for trepanation, thought to open the mind to religious enlightenment; it is unknown if the Moche did similar, but they may have. In modern Peru, a tumi on the wall is a symbol of good luck.

Provenance: private Orange County, California, USA collection

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#127603

Encrusted turquoise patina, with nicely preserved form.