Inca Gold and Silver Ball Bead NecklacePre-Columbian, Peru, Inca, ca....
Inca Gold and Silver Ball Bead NecklacePre-Columbian, Peru, Inca, ca. 1000–1425 CE. A weighty procession of hollow spheres, ten of gold and eleven of silver, alternating around the throat in a rhythm of warm and cool light. Each bead was raised from sheet metal in two hemispheres and joined at the equator, the faint seam still legible across several examples. Tiny ancient silver spacer beads punctuate the strand, which terminates in conical silver finials and a modern clasp on a modern restring. Precious-metal ornament of this scale was regulated in the Andes, gold associated with the sun and silver with the moon, and such adornment marked elite or ceremonial status rather than ordinary wear. Suitable for wearing. Size: 16" L (40.6 cm L).
Andean smiths worked precious metal by hammering rather than casting, annealing thin sheet repeatedly until it could be raised over a stake into hemispheres and then soldered or crimped into a hollow ball, a method that produced impressive volume from very little bullion. Under the Inca state, gold and silver were not currency but sacred substance: gold was glossed as the "sweat of the sun" and silver as the "tears of the moon," and both were monopolized by the crown, distributed as gifts that bound provincial lords to Cusco. Ornaments of this kind were therefore instruments of political theater as much as personal adornment, and the vast majority were melted down in the sixteenth century, leaving intact bead strands uncommon.
Provenance: Private Chicago collection, acquired from Robert Duff, FL.
SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).
PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception.
Item #73230Sturdy and suitable for wearing. Overall excellent condition.
Inca Gold and Silver Ball Bead NecklacePre-Columbian, Peru, Inca, ca. 1000–1425 CE. A weighty procession of hollow spheres, ten of gold and eleven of silver, alternating around the throat in a rhythm of warm and cool light. Each bead was raised from sheet metal in two hemispheres and joined at the equator, the faint seam still legible across several examples. Tiny ancient silver spacer beads punctuate the strand, which terminates in conical silver finials and a modern clasp on a modern restring. Precious-metal ornament of this scale was regulated in the Andes, gold associated with the sun and silver with the moon, and such adornment marked elite or ceremonial status rather than ordinary wear. Suitable for wearing. Size: 16" L (40.6 cm L).
Andean smiths worked precious metal by hammering rather than casting, annealing thin sheet repeatedly until it could be raised over a stake into hemispheres and then soldered or crimped into a hollow ball, a method that produced impressive volume from very little bullion. Under the Inca state, gold and silver were not currency but sacred substance: gold was glossed as the "sweat of the sun" and silver as the "tears of the moon," and both were monopolized by the crown, distributed as gifts that bound provincial lords to Cusco. Ornaments of this kind were therefore instruments of political theater as much as personal adornment, and the vast majority were melted down in the sixteenth century, leaving intact bead strands uncommon.
Provenance: Private Chicago collection, acquired from Robert Duff, FL.
SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).
PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception.
Item #73230Sturdy and suitable for wearing. Overall excellent condition.
