Funerary post topped with a female figure. Chimú Culture, Peru, 900-1470.

Funerary post topped with a female figure. Chimú Culture, Peru, 900-1470.
Wood.
Provenance: Collection of Jean Pierre Cottier and Fiorella Cottier-Angeli, Geneva. Acquired by Yossef Maiman between 2000 and 2008. -private collection, Israel, until 2024.
Publications: -Rosenzwig, Alfredo. Woloszyn, Janisz Z. Offerings for the afterlife - Peruvian pottery and artifacts from the Maiman Collection. Ampal Merhav Group of Companies. Israel, 2008. fig.102.
Conservation: good condition; no restorations.
Measurements. 106 cm. height.

Important funerary post carved in wood, topped by a female figure, belonging to the Chimú culture, one of the most sophisticated civilizations of the northern coast of pre-Hispanic Peru. This type of sculpture was part of high status funerary contexts, where they acted as symbolic and protective markers associated with the passage to the afterlife.

The upper figure, frontal and hieratic, presents schematic and stylized features, with a face highlighted by reddish pigmentation still visible, an element of great interest that provides information about its original polychromy. The geometric simplification of the body and the rigidity of the posture respond to a formal language typical of Chimú art, where the symbolic load prevails over naturalism.

The elongated lower support, carved in a single block, reinforces its function as a vertical element linked to funerary or ceremonial structures. The surface preserves an ancient patina with traces of use and natural aging of the wood, which accentuate its authenticity and presence.

The piece has an outstanding provenance and has been published in a reference work, which significantly increases its interest within the specialized collecting of pre-Columbian art.