Lot 218, Auction 3/19/2026: Peruvian Socketed Copper Chisel With Textile Remains

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Pre-Columbian, Peru, ca. 600 to 1400 CE, Moche, Wari, Chimu or Inca. A copper chisel or adze with a flared cutting edge and a hollow hafting socket at the base for mounting onto a wooden handle. The surfaces preserve extensive remains of textile wrapping embedded within the corrosion layers – likely evidence of its placement within a funerary bundle, as ancient Peruvian elites were interred with tools and offerings wrapped in multiple layers of precious cloth. The tool retains a rich green patina from long burial, with the woven impressions of the textiles still clearly visible across much of the body. Size: 5.5″ L x 1.75″ W (14 cm x 4.4 cm)

Socketed chisels were most commonly used by the Inca in the 15th to 16th centuries. Such tools were used on monumental walls such as those found at Sacsayhuamán and Ollantaytambo. These walls were built with such precision that it is impossible to slide a credit card between them in virtually any location of the stone joins.

Condition: Remains of textile wrapping embedded on the surface as shown. Green patina throughout and minor chip to blade, otherwise intact.

Provenance: private southwestern Pennsylvania, USA collection, acquired prior to 2000

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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