Pre-Columbian Ceramic Maya Dignitary Figure

Orangeware vessel of rounded shape with a flared rim and a single loop handle. 1.25 kg, 20 cm



From an old Colchester, UK, collection. Acquired on the UK art market since the 1990s. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman; thence by descent. Accompanied by a previous catalogue information slip.

Curving blade and rectangular shank to the rear with large central socket; square butt. 740 grams, 14.3 cm



Private collection, Israel. Acquired in the 1992. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s.

The Inca inherited a sophisticated metalworking tradition whose origins long predated the rise of their empire. Drawing on skilled artisans from across their territories, especially the north coast, they produced a wide range of objects in gold, silver, copper, and bronze at centres such as Cuzco. Among the most characteristic metal forms of the Inca period were tumis, ceremonial knives typically made of copper or tin bronze, distinguished by a long, curved blade set at a right angle to the handle. These handles could be flat or cylindrical and were often ornamented, while loops at the top suggest that some were suspended from the belt or worn as pendants. Tumis held an important place in ritual life in the Andes and had long been associated with sacrifice, both in ceremonial practice and in visual imagery, where they frequently appear in the hands of deities or supernatural beings. This example is especially striking: the upper handle is formed as the strong talons of a bird of prey, and the textured shaft recalls the rough surface of a raptor’s leg. Such imagery would have carried powerful associations with death and sacrifice, as scavenging and predatory birds were naturally linked with both. The blade also preserves textile impressions, probably the result of long burial.

Comprising five biconical whorls with radiating line details and a raised rib on the equator. 30 grams total, 20-23 mm



From Chiapas in 1950. Acquired on the UK art market since the 1990s. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman; thence by descent. Accompanied by a previous catalogue information slip.