Collar
Chimú (Kingdom of Chimor (near present-day Trujillo, Peru))
1200–1470
- Medium
- Gold alloy
- Classification
- Metalwork
- Dimensions
- 26.8 × 34.1 × 1.8 cm (10 9/16 × 13 7/16 × 3/4 in.)
- Culture
- Peruvian North Coast
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Arts of the Americas
- Credit line
- Purchased with funds provided by the Antiquarian Society; Mrs. Harold T. Martin and Mrs. H. Allen Vance funds
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Art Institute of Chicago
About this work
A leader from the kingdom of Chimor might have worn this golden collar, or pectoral, directly on their chest, or it may have been attached to a larger fabric garment that has since deteriorated. Each plaque was hammered with the motif of a seabird in relief, evoking the coastal setting of Chimor in modern-day Peru. Chimú sovereigns, who ruled the kingdom of Chimor from their capital at Chan Chan, amassed staggering amounts of wealth, especially in precious metals. Here, the dangling spangles demonstrate the opulence—and even ostentation—that Chimú rulers enthusiastically embraced.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
