A Tairona Tumbaga Finial with a Shaman atop a Bird

Colombia, Circa 1000-1500 A.D.

Height 2 7/8 inches (7.3 cm); 14 karat gold; 25.55 dwt.

This lot is located in Chicago.

Provenance:

Barry M. Bruck (b. 1940), Florida, acquired while living in Colombia, 1966-1968.

Jeffrey Norris, Georgia, acquired from the above, 2 February 2017.

[with laboratory test and authentication report, affidavit of importation, and copy of invoice]

A familiar motif within Tairona artistic tradition, this form likely belonged to a more elaborate composition. Similar examples show four such elements radiating from the body of a stylized bird. A well-known version appears on the cover of G. Reichel-Dolmatoff’s Goldwork and Shamanism (1988).

Inspected under UV light and 10x loupe. Surface with multiple dents, minor tears, and areas of tarnish. Scattered encrustations and zones of uneven texture are also present. Overall in very fine and attractive condition. See additional images.

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Jacob Coley

Senior Vice President, Head of Department, Antiquities and Ancient Art

jacobcoley@freemansauction.com 312 280 1212

Mr. Coley joined the Antiquities department in 2021 after working as Managing Director in the Ancient Art department at Colnaghi, the world’s oldest commercial art gallery, where he helped to establish the Ancient Art department and launched Colnaghi New York in 2017. Prior to Colnaghi, Mr. Coley was in the Greek and Roman Art department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Mr. Coley holds a B.A. from the University of Miami and an M.A. in Art Market from the Fashion Institute of Technology, and he earned an art-appraisal certificate from New York University.

Pre-Columbian and Ethnographic Art

A Tairona Tumbaga Finial with a Shaman atop a Bird

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