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Portfolios%3D%221798%22%20and%20Century%3D%2210th-15th%20centuries%22
Jewelry
Pair of Earspools
Chimú artist, (active )
Chimú artist
Peru
Primary
2 1/2 x 2 1/2 in. (6.4 x 6.4 cm)
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.
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Silver
Silver
Chimú; made in Peru
1000-1470
1000
1470
1000-1400, Chimu, jewelry, Pre-Columbian art of Central & South America
Jewelry
Although body piercing and tattooing may seem like a novel concept, it was a common practice and a sign of beauty and status in many cultures throughout the Ancient Americas. This matched pair of earspools once adorned the earlobes of a nobleman from the Chimú Empire. By wearing ever-larger ear plugs, ear lobes can be stretched out to accommodate such thick posts. These imposing earspools may have been secured with ties affixed either to a headdress or around the neck.
[Gallery label text, 2009]
1975.146a-b
item
Memorial Art Gallery
2/3/2001
75.146a-bSL1
slide
both
2 x 2
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75.146a-bDI1
digital image
00/00/00
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