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Rain of the Moon: Silver in Ancient Peru
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Description
Elaborate beakers such as this one were used in ritual contexts at courts and temples during the lives of important Chimú rulers and were placed in their tombs as offerings. This example is made of a single sheet of silver and has a recessed spout at the rim on one side for pouring. The relief decoration was created by hammering or pressing the metal into a bed of resilient material, such as pitch or soft wood. The surface was worked from the front and back with different chasing tools, such as tracers, punches, and scribers.
In the absence of indigenous written texts, the interpretation of the motifs on this vessel is speculative. The figures may refer to Chimú mythology or depict characters mentioned in sixteenth-century documents written by Spaniards. One document, recorded in 1586, relates a story—perhaps historic, perhaps legendary, or a combination of both—about the ancient dynasties in the area, beginning with a king named Naymlap. The document lists twelve rulers during the reign of Naymlap and nine during the subsequent Chimú dynasty. It is possible that some of the figures on this vessel, especially the eight frontally facing figures around the base, correspond to characters mentioned in the account.
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