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HOME :
Pre-Columbian Art :
Chimu Art : Chimu Rattle in the Form of a Standing Woman
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Chimu Rattle in the Form of a Standing Woman - PF.1453
Origin: Northern Coast of Peru
Circa: 800
AD
to 1200
AD
Dimensions:
7.125" (18.1cm) high
Catalogue: V5
Collection: Pre-Columbian
Medium: Terracotta
$4,800.00
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.
Depicting a woman in an attitude of reverent
prayer, this splendid rattle was once shaken at a
religious ceremony. The prominent sexuality of
the figure suggests that the rites concerned
fertility. As we shake the rattle ourselves, we can
imagine a temple courtyard filled with
worshippers, each making noise to attract the
attention of the heavens. The person who held
this instrument long ago was no doubt a woman
of similar appearance, perhaps petitioning a
goddess for children. Hearing the rhythmic
music today, we are transported to a distant
world.
- (PF.1453)
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