900–1470
Hammered gold alloy
Overall: 10.7 x 12.3 cm (4 3/16 x 4 13/16 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1945.129
Frontal figures flanked by profile attendants have a long history in the Andes. This is the quintessential group of authority and power, here a Chimú lord and two creatures perhaps from mythology. Ancient Andean cultures did not use writing, so it is difficult to know more about the scene's meaning. Additional elements, probably also of gold, originally were tabbed through the slots on the surface.
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