Chimu Wood Royal Litter Staff

**Originally Listed At $850**

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, six square insertion cavities, and an hourglass-shaped platform atop which stands a highly stylized anthropomorphic figure. The figure boasts intricate incised decorations including an enormous head, attenuated arms and legs, and a tumi-shaped headdress with pointed ear flaps. 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 and ceremonies. Some funerary pottery shows important personages on litters being carried by four pallbearers. Size: 1.5" W x 32.25" H (3.8 cm x 81.9 cm); 35.5" H (90.2 cm) on included custom stand.

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.

#147498
Condition Report: Small nicks and abrasions, with several stable hairline fissures, small losses to verso as shown, and stabilization to lower tip. Light earthen deposits and fine patina throughout. Old inventory label on verso.