Chimu Wood Royal Litter Post - Jaguar Finial

**Originally Listed At $750**

Pre-Columbian, Central Coast Peru, Chimu, ca. 1100 to 1470 CE. A hand-carved wooden post used on a litter. The slender rectangular body has a narrow tip, seven insertion cavities, and an hourglass-shaped platform atop which stands a highly-stylized jaguar finial. The jaguar is presented in a prone position with four powerful legs tucked beneath its stocky body, a rectangular head with perky ears and bulging eyes, and a thick tail curling atop the posterior. Lustrous coffee-hued patina envelops the entire carving. Size: 1.5" W x 29.625" H (3.8 cm x 75.2 cm); 30.8" H (78.2 cm) on included custom stand.

In the Chimu and earlier Chancay cultures, important personages were carried on litters when they were both alive and dead - mummies were often brought out on litters for important rituals or ceremonies. Some funerary pottery shows important personages on litters, being carried by four pallbearers.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-private Hans Juergen Westermann collection, Germany

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.

#146462
Condition Report: Minor nicks and abrasions to staff body and finial, with softening to some finer details, and a couple of stable hairline fissures, otherwise intact and very good. Light earthen deposits as well as fine brown patina throughout. Old inventory labels near bottom tip on verso.