The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 1, 2023

Ornament with Figure

600–1000

Central Andes, Wari style

Shell, stone, and metal (silver?)

Overall: 6.6 x 3.6 cm (2 5/8 x 1 7/16 in.)

In memory of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Humphreys, gift of their daughter Helen 1944.291

Location

232 Andean

Description

Affixed to a section of white shell is the image of a Wari dignitary, assembled of carefully carved mosaic elements. The purple and pink shapes are made of shell, while the green is serpentine. The spots on the figure's tunic are probably pyrite, which was originally smooth and reflective.

Provenance
John Wise, Ltd.
(John Wise, Ltd.)
Citations
Foote, Helen S. "An Ornament from the Coast of Peru." Cleveland Museum of Art. The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, March 1945. Reproduced: p. 31
The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 353 archive.org
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 297 archive.org
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 297 archive.org
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 401 archive.org
Bergh, Susan E., Luis Guillermo Lumbreras, and Luis Jaime Castillo. Wari: Lords of the Ancient Andes. [New York]: Thames & Hudson; [Cleveland] : The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2012. Mentioned: p. 271, cat. 74; Reproduced: p. 226, fig. 213
Exhibition history

Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art; November 9 1945- January 6 1946. "Art of the Americas." repr. in catalogue, black and white, p. 48.

Cincinnati, OH: The Taft Museum; October 6-November 19, 1950. "Ancient American Gold and Jade."

Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art; February 23- April 3, 1966. "Treasures of Peruvian Gold."

Denver, CO: Denver Art Museum; October 16, 2004- January 23, 2005. "Tiwanaku: Ancestors of the Inca." exh. cat. no. 6.2, p.153.

The Cleveland Museum fo Art (10/28/2012 - 1/6/2013); Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Art, FL (2/10/2013 - 5/19/2013); and the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, TX ((6/16/2013 - 9/8/2013): "Wari: Lords of the Ancient Andes"

Art of the Americas. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 9, 1945-January 6, 1946).

Tiwanaku: Ancestors of the Inca. Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO (organizer) (October 16, 2004-January 23, 2005).

Wari: Lords of the Ancient Andes. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 28, 2012-January 6, 2013); Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Art (February 10-May 19, 2013); Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, TX (June 16-September 8, 2013).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1944.291