Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog number |
2002.7.3 |
Artist |
Unknown |
Title |
Ear Spools |
Date |
1200-1500 |
Object Name |
Earspool |
Description |
One of the most stunning small pieces in the collection, a pair of Chimú ear spools from the central or north coast of Peru dating from 1200-1500 C.E., reveals a unique technique employed in Andean feather art. Here, the ear spool's blue, black, and red feathers are glued onto a wooden backing and trimmed into a flower-like pattern emanating from the center. One should note the slight difference in patterning between the two ear spools, for such variations reveal the difficulty of maintaining the strict precision in patterning that can be found in other art forms such as ceramics or woven textiles. But what these objects and other examples of feather art may lack in uniformity, they make up for in their remarkable sense of texture and color that cannot be replicated in any other media. Ear spools consist of a round circular disk with a long thick post that is inserted into the ear. They were worn by elite males from the Moche (1-600 C.E.) up through the Incas, serving as one of the principal visible markers of their privileged social status. The featherwork of the ancient Andes remained an uninterrupted artistic tradition for over a millennium, with the production of certain types of feather pieces lasting even after the Spanish conquest of 1534. Feather art remains strong in select Amazonian communities today that continue to use feathers for the creation of ceremonial costumes and other ritual purposes. Citation: Extract taken from essay by Ananda Cohen Suarez "Featherwork of Ancient Peru," in "Natural and Supernatural: Andean Textiles and Material Culture," (G -T M, Queens College, CUNY, September 8 - October 24, 2009), 24. |
Medium/Material |
Wood and feathers |
Dimensions |
L-1.5 Dia-3.5 inches |
Year Range from |
1200 |
Year Range to |
1500 |
Exhibition and Publication History |
*"Natural and Supernatural: Andean Textiles and Material Culture," Godwin-Ternbach Museum, Queens College, CUNY, September 8 - October 24, 2009. *King, Heidi, "Peruvian Featherworks: Art of the Pre-Columbian Era," The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Yale University Press, 2012, p. 172, plate 44. |
Culture |
Chimú/Peruvian |