Recovered from a burial and meticulously remounted on ancient cotton, this colorful collar from coastal Peru consists of shell and stone appliques in the form of stylized pelicans and other forms. The collar measures about nine inches by 7-1/2 inches and is displayed in an antique ebonized frame. Peru,1000 to 1400 A.D.

I have seen only one related cup like this, similar in size with two legs and described as a mortar, which they might well be, for there is some wear to the bottoms of the bowls, but they would require light handling of the pestle. I term mine a chalice, for the worn carved motif at the top of each leg could be interpreted as a Dove of Peace, but somehow I do not think so. Approximately seven inches tall and 4-1/2 to 4-3/4 inches in diameter. New England, Seventeenth to Eighteenth Centuries.

If this powerful figure,a fish with two riders, had a utilitarian purpose, it would have been as a handle for a needle-like point fitted into the mouth area. This is unlikely, however, as the two figures would impede ease of use. Siberia-Alaska Area (?)pre-Christian Era. Approximately 8-1/2 inches in length, 2-3/4 inches high and one inch deep.

Quite different in feel from the other tape in our collection (956288), this soft and warm band of red, russet brown, black and white vicuna wool reverses to the same stepped design. It is in very fine, healthy condition, with several holes where it was attached to the main wrappings of the mummy. (It is here that is revealed the original blue-gray color of the black.) Chimu Culture, ca. 1200. 1-1/4 inches wide and approximately 225 inches long.

Its colors still brilliant, this tape was used to bind up a mummy buried in the Andes. The fine stylized pattern repeats on the other side to quite a different effect. Chimu culture, circa 1000 A.D. Approximately 1-1/4 inches wide and 16 feet long.

In Leona Davis Boylan's landmark "Spanish Colonial Silver" (Museum of New Mexico Press,1974), there is illustrated a similar silver water pot. This rare example is uncovered and measures approximately 3-3/4 inches (9-1/2 cm) high and seven inches (18 cm)in diameter at the handles, with a weight of 271 grams. It is offered in "as-found" condition, although to my eye the marks of time only make the piece more appealing. However, for the more fastidious the bumps can easily be planched out...

This elegantly hand-wrought Bolivian bombilla (sipping tube for yerba mate) dates from the first years of the 19th Century and is in heavy mine silver of excellent purity. The classically simple design extends even to the basket-weave detailing on the insertion section that allows the tube to be pulled apart for cleaning. It is approximately nine inches in length.

An almost Picasso-like creation, this standing mate in heavy mine silver features an attached dished base raised up on four coiled feet that echo the “ears” of the cup. The only surface designs are a double row of ratcheted circles and four punched-in quatrefoils, all on the base. This eccentric little figure is Bolivian, late 18th Century, and measures approximately four inches by 4-3/4 inches at the base and 5-1/4 inches tall.

High-waisted and sporting a fine ogee handle, this hand-wrought Northern Provincial cup is of fine quality mine silver. An owner’s mark is ratchet-engraved on the bottom. It measures about three inches diameter at the handle and 2-3/4 inches tall. Late 18th Century. Excellent condition.

Crudely elegant, this hand-wrought mine silver cup with its tulip-shaped body resting on a conical base boasted a well-executed S-form handle. An engraved owner’s mark on the bottom reads “Tove” or possibly “Torre.” Late 18th Century Northern Provincial. Approximately 3-1/2 inches in diameter at the handle and 2-1/2 inches high.

Dating from the late 18th Century or the early 19th, this charming globular cup rests on a conical base. It is of high-purity mine silver and is in excellent condition, measuring around 3-1/2 inches in diameter at the handle and 2-1/4 inches high. Northern Provincial.

A small cup of high-purity mine silver, this graceful example of Andean silver dates from the late 18th Century. It is in sharp condition with only a quarter-inch rim crack. Approximately 3-3/8 inches diameter at the handle and two inches high.