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HOME :
Pre-Columbian Art :
Chimu Art : Chimu Shark Effigy Trumpet
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Chimu Shark Effigy Trumpet - PF.1335
Origin: Northern Coast of Peru
Circa: 800
AD
to 1200
AD
Catalogue: V5
Collection: Pre-Columbian
Style: Chimu
Medium: Terracotta
$2,400.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
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The Chimu culture arose around 800 A.D. and
flourished until the Incan conquest about six
hundred years later. Their civilization was
centered at their capital Chan Chan, about 300
miles north of Lima, literally meaning “Sun Sun,”
the largest Pre-Columbian city in Peru estimated
to contain almost one hundred thousand citizens.
The Chimu believed the sea, which they called
“Ni,” was the origin of life, a theory also
proposed by modern science and evolution.
Thanks to their sea-faring skills, the Chimu were
able to survive, nestled in between the desert
and the sea. The sea was everything to them: an
endless supply of food and the source of
inspiration for their most imaginative myths,
legends, and artwork. Agriculture was also vital,
and the Chimu drew up a vast number of
irrigation works demonstrating immense
engineering skill, some of which are still in use
today. Today, aside from the astounding mud
ruins of Chan Chan remarkably well preserved in
the heat of the desert, the Chimú are perhaps
best known for their distinctive black glazed
pottery influenced by their predecessors: the
Moche.
The people of ancient Peru had a deep
appreciation for the animals who shared their
world. The fate of mankind frequently depended
on the benevolent will of the beasts, who
embodied the gods and spirits of nature. As in
many cultures through the ages, the habits and
characters of animals were identified with those
of humans. Warriors expecially sought to link
themselves with fierce, swift, and strong
creatures. This fascinating tubular object, one of
a pair, depicts a shark with open jaws. It may
have served as a kind of trumpet, used to amplify
the voice on the battlefield. Its mystery adds to
its appeal. Its exact function has been lost in the
mists of time, but its power over the imagination
is undeniable. L. 20cm(7 7/8IN)
- (PF.1335)
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