Lot 69a, Auction 4/12/2026: Rare Chimu Silver Necklace Ornaments, Framed Display

$1,300.00

In stock

Pre-Columbian, North Coast Peru, Chimu culture, ca. 900 to 1470 CE. A captivating assemblage of Chimu silver ornaments, each hammered from thin sheets of high-purity silver (95-96%) and pierced for attachment, now artfully presented in a modern frame under glass. The individual elements – small pendants perhaps shaped as stylized fish or figures, and circular discs – are displayed in a crescent formation reminiscent of an elaborate collar or funerary pectoral, evoking the regalia once worn by high-ranking nobles or priests in life or in death. Silver in Chimu cosmology was deeply symbolic, associated with the moon, the night, and the watery underworld believed to mirror the ocean’s depths. The Chimu revered the moon deity Pacasmayo above the sun, recognizing its control over tides, fertility, and cyclical rebirth. The very name of the preceding culture, Sican, means “Temple of the Moon” – which reflects this reverence. Size of a silver ornament: 2.3″ L x 1″ W (5.8 cm x 2.5 cm); frame: 27″ L x 21.5″ W (68.6 cm x 54.6 cm); silver quality: 96% to 97%

Condition: Tiny tears to the peripheries of several. Dark patina and toning, but otherwise excellent. Mounted in a frame under glass.

Provenance: private Dallas, Texas, USA collection

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.

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