Lambayeque (Sicán) Gold Atlatl, circa AD 800 - 1400

John Wise, New York (inv. no. N160)
Private Collection, California, acquired from the above in 1968

Sotheby's, New York, African, Oceanic and Pre-Columbian Art, May 15, 2015, pp. 18-19, no. 9

The atlatl, or spear-thrower, was an important weapon distinctive of New World technology, which enabled projectiles to be thrown farther than by arm alone. Ceremonial gold sheathed examples were found in Peru and Colombia, as noted by Juan de Castellanos, the 16th-century poet and chronicler.

This atlatl is covered by a continuous gold sheet, which is finely repousséd with repeat zoomorphic motifs that form a diagonal spiral, carefully secured by small nails. The repetitive design of the encircling motif is an effective visual strategy frequently used in Lambayeque (Sicán) art. The crouching copper creature with a projecting tongue, gold inlay eyes and crescentic headdress, serves as the thumb grip of this ceremonial weapon. For an atlatl of different style in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection, Washington, D.C., see S. K. Lothrop, W. F. Foshag, and Joy Mahler, Pre-Columbian Art, London and New York, 1957, pl. CXXXI.