Pair of Moche Wood, Nacre Shell, & Turquoise Earspools

Pre-Columbian, Peru, Moche, ca. 100 to 600 CE. A rare and stunning pair of wood earspools, both of discoid form and beautifully decorated with inlaid spondylus and nacre shells of coral pink, light purple, and pearlescent white hues. The front face of each adornment boasts 4 Janus-form, nacre shell seabirds with turquoise stone eyes arranged in a circle surrounding a central flying bird also of nacre shell. The field is filled with trapezoidal, rectangular, and triangular pieces of nacre and spondylus shells. A series of rectangular shell pieces laid vertically line the periphery of each earspool with 2 sections featuring purple pieces of shell of rectangular form stacked horizontally. The verso of one of the earspools is additionally adorned with a circular piece of nacre shell. All the gorgeous pieces of shell have been applied to the wood using clay or silt. Size (of largest, about the same size): 0.875" L x 2" in diameter (2.2 cm x 5.1 cm); 4.1" H (10.4 cm) on included custom stand.

This piece has been searched against the Art Loss Register database and has been cleared. The Art Loss Register maintains the world’s largest database of stolen art, collectibles, and antiques.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-private Hans Juergen Westermann collection, Germany, collected from 1950 to 1960s

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.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#164488
Condition Report: Collection labels on versos of both. One spool is repaired from 2 pieces with restoration over break line on front and break line visible on verso. Same spool also has losses to one shell on periphery and is missing backing. Other has stable hairline fissure visible on back. Otherwise, both are excellent.