Pre-Columbian, Peru, Chimu, ca. 1100 to 1470 CE. An incredibly preserved, matched pair of wooden ear spools, their broad, disc-shaped faces intricately carved with identical openwork motifs. These show a standing lord surrounded by a border of seated avians, their poses suggesting ducks or other water fowl. In each hand, the lord clasps a Janus-headed animal, possibly a llama based on its rounded ears. The surface of each is richly coated with an earthy red cinnabar, still surprisingly bright after all these years. Each disc is carved as part of an integral hollow cylinder that could be inserted into a stretched earlobe. Size of one: 2.5" W x 2.05" H (6.4 cm x 5.2 cm); 3" H (7.6 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private southern California, USA collection, acquired in the 1970s to mid-1980s

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#141050

Some losses to the edges of the faces of both, especially to one, as shown. One small chip from the back of each. Very nice preservation of pigment and motifs, especially for being wooden item.