Moche Wood Ear Spool, Concentric Mosaic Design, Sipan Style

Pre-Columbian, Peru, Moche, ca. 100–300 CE. A carved hardwood ear ornament, its cylindrical insertion tang rising to a broad disc face laid with mosaic. Four concentric bands of cut stone and shell tesserae, russet, cream, and olive-green, radiate from an oval turquoise boss set within a pale shell bezel, the inner ring cut into fine wedge shapes that read as petals. Such flared ear spools were worn through distended lobes by elite Moche men, the scale and material of the inlay signaling rank; comparable ornaments appear on modeled portrait vessels and on the lords interred at Sipan. The surface carries a deep ancient patina. Size: 3" W x 2.5" H (7.6 cm W x 6.4 cm H).

Moche lapidaries worked in a restricted, highly charged palette: turquoise traded down from the highlands, warm orange Spondylus and pearlescent mother-of-pearl carried north from Ecuadorian waters, and local stone. Shell in particular was a prestige substance tied to water and fertility, and the labor of dive, transport, and micro-cutting made a mosaic disc a statement of a wearer's reach as much as his taste.

Ear ornaments were among the clearest markers of male status on the north coast. Moche portrait vessels show the flared discs jutting from the lobes of named individuals, and the tombs excavated at Sipan in the late 1980s yielded paired ear flares of gold and turquoise mosaic worn by rulers alongside nose ornaments and pectorals. Wooden-backed examples such as this one preserve less often than metal, arid coastal burial conditions being the reason any survive at all.

Provenance: Ex. H. J. Westermann collection, Germany, active 1950’s - 1960’s.

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 #

73190

Condition
Overall excellent ancient surface patina. A small loss to the outer mosaic border, with some minor wood edge loss, otherwise intact.

Buyer's Premium
30%