Chimu Spoon with Inlaid Standing Figure

10th-11th century AD. A carved wooden spoon, featuring a sculptured hand holding a cup, upon which stands a figure of a hero or king wearing a sleeveless tunic, holding two offering vessels, the head surmounted by a princely crown, inserts of necur (mother of pearl) on the crown, vessels and decoration of the tunic; mounted on a custom-made stand.See a similar style Chimú statuette in the Metropolitan Museum accession no.1979.206.774; for the statuette of a royal character over a mirror, see Lapiner, A., Columbian Art of South America, New York, 1976, item 625.168 grams total, 30.5cm including stand (12"). Property of a French gentleman living in Paris; previously in a private Swiss collection, Basel; formerly from Ohly Antiquities, London, UK, in 1962.In pre-Columbian societies, dead ancestors continued to live in sacred places, and in many cases diverse materials were used through their representations. Some images were carved in wood which fossilised over time. This wooden Chimú sculpture represents an ancient hero or ancestor who, finely attired with royal headdress, earrings and necklace, holds a ceremonial glass with both hands, as if making an offering. Sometimes the representation concerned the kings: the Chimú kings were revered as gods or demi-gods, and upon death the funerary rituals lasted five days, from the preparation of the deceased and the offerings until the act of burial.
Condition Report: Fine condition.