Lot 2

Chancay Wood Burial Doll - Striped Cotton Tunic

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Lot 2
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Chancay Wood Burial Doll - Striped Cotton Tunic
Chancay Wood Burial Doll - Striped Cotton Tunic
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Chancay Wood Burial Doll - Striped Cotton Tunic

Estimate: $400 - $600

Starting Bid: $200

(0 Bids)
by Artemis Fine Arts
August 7, 2026 9:00 AM MDT
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Pre-Columbian, Peru, Chancay, ca. 1000–1470 CE. A carved wood burial figure of simplified form, the flat face painted with stylized red and white features in the manner seen on wooden funerary masks. The figure wears a tunic of striped, plain-woven cotton cloth, secured at the waist with a twisted fiber cord. The wood surface shows extensive age-related erosion and losses consistent with burial, but at nearly 1,000 years old the figure is very nicely preserved thanks to the arid climate and burial practices. Size: 2" W x 9.25" H x 1.5" D (5.1 cm W x 23.5 cm H x 3.8 cm D).

The Chancay flourished along the central coast of Peru between roughly 1000 and 1470 CE, in the arid valleys north of present-day Lima. Their dry desert cemeteries have preserved extraordinary quantities of perishable material, textiles above all, for which the culture is best known. Figures of this type, combining a simply carved wooden armature with garments of actual woven cloth, are characteristic of Chancay funerary practice, where the dead were wrapped in elaborate bundles accompanied by miniature companions and offerings. The striped plain-weave tunic here echoes full-scale Chancay garments in fiber and technique, a miniature testament to the weaving tradition that defined the culture.

Provenance: private Saint Louis, Missouri, USA collection acquired between 1970 and 1995

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Item # 204008

  • Condition: Wear to wood, with chips and pressure fissures. Fading to pigments, but facial details remain. Unknown if the cloth is original to the figure, but is likely Chancay in origin.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000