IMG_7166
Bird ornament
Peru; coastal Wari
6th-10th century
Hammered gold
Gift and Bequest of Alice K. Bache, 1974, 1977
Gold finds from Wari-Tiwanaku are rare compared to those of earlier and later north coastal cultures (the Moche, Sican and Chimu). Gold was perhaps not as available in the highlands where the Wari and Tiwanaku city-states came to power, or it may have been culturally less important as a material. This plaque with an embossed humen-bird face and repousse tail and wings reportedly was excavated on Peru's central coast, together with highland-style ceramics.
IMG_7166
Bird ornament
Peru; coastal Wari
6th-10th century
Hammered gold
Gift and Bequest of Alice K. Bache, 1974, 1977
Gold finds from Wari-Tiwanaku are rare compared to those of earlier and later north coastal cultures (the Moche, Sican and Chimu). Gold was perhaps not as available in the highlands where the Wari and Tiwanaku city-states came to power, or it may have been culturally less important as a material. This plaque with an embossed humen-bird face and repousse tail and wings reportedly was excavated on Peru's central coast, together with highland-style ceramics.