Moche Openwork Metal Plaque, Dignitary Figure

Pre-Columbian, Peru, Moche, ca. 500–800 CE. A frontal dignitary stands within a rectangular frame, hammered from sheet metal and cut away in openwork so the figure reads against empty ground. He wears a broad crescent headdress with fluted rays and stepped side elements, oversized disc ear ornaments flanking a heavy-lidded face, and a short flaring skirt with a zigzag hem. Arms curve to the hips, feet splay outward over a plain lower rail. Silvered surface survives in patches beneath red, green, and gold corrosion products. Seven small holes pierce the border, indicating the plaque was once sewn or riveted to a backing, likely a garment, litter, or funerary bundle where such adornments announced elite rank. Size: 3.5" W x 5.75" H (8.9 cm W x 14.6 cm H).

Moche metalsmiths of Peru's north coast were the finest in the ancient Americas, working sheet copper by hammering and annealing rather than casting, then transforming its dull surface through depletion silvering and gilding: alloys of copper with silver or gold were chemically etched at the surface so that the base metal leached away and a thin skin of precious metal remained. The result is an object that looks solid silver while weighing a fraction of it, and the patchy white sheen surviving here is the residue of that process.

Plaques of this kind rarely traveled alone. Excavations at Sipan and San Jose de Moro have recovered comparable perforated sheets attached in ranks to tunics, headdresses, and the wrappings of high-status burials, where movement and light did the rest of the work. The stepped motifs flanking the head and the fanned crescent diadem belong to a standard vocabulary of rank, rendered again and again across Moche ceramics, murals, and metal.

Provenance: Collection of Dr. Reuven Livny, Israel. To family by descent. Acquired from Arte Xibalba, FL., 7/25/2014.

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.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700.

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 #

73186

Condition
Some scattered remaining silvered surface, with overall scattered blue patina. Seven small attachment holes in the border edge. A tiny loss to his nose and left shoulder, and a few minor imperfections, otherwise intact.

Buyer's Premium
30%