Featherwork neckpiece

This neckpiece pectoral is a stunning example of Andean featherwork, displaying the red feathers of a macaw and the blue and purple feathers of a Paradise Tanager or Spangled Cotinga. The former are sewn into place on the cotton plain-weave while the latter are glued along the frame and into figural forms. A human-like figure with a crested headdress is flanked by seabirds and fish. Along the base, the fringe is composed of finely worked beads of Spondylus shell, a feature common to late Chimú objects.

The featherwork neckpiece is claimed to derive from a cache of offerings found on the southern coast of Peru. Despite their reputed recovery from southern Peru, the this neckpiece and other cached objects reflect principally north coast Chimú designs. If the provenience is accurate, then this group demonstrates either the trade of Chimú elite objects or the presence of Chimú populations on the south coast during the Late Horizon, perhaps under Inca imperial rule.