CHIMU WOOD FIGURAL MARKER

CA. A.D. 1100 - 1400

Details

CHIMU WOOD FIGURAL MARKER
ca. A.D. 1100 - 1400
the tall marker of thick section, carved from a single section of hard wood, the standing figure with rounded shoulders and arms held to the sides, the large oval head with tiny mouth open, cheek furrows, closely-set eyes under arched brows, hooked nose and stylized ears with scrolling patterns, wearing a fringed loincloth, and face covered overall in a resinous red pigment.
Height 35 in. (89 cm.)

Lot Essay

A similar marker at The Art Museum, Princeton University

Such large wood posts with carved and painted figures on top might originally have stood as tall as up to six to eight feet. Carved of the hard algarrobo tree, these status markers were designated solely for the elite, Kuraka, class of the Late Intermediate coastal provinces.

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