The plain gold tumi or sacrificial knife was made with gold foil or thin sheets, and engraved with a burin. Although much simpler than the tumi with an intricate finial of Naymlap inlaid with gemstones (cat. 107), its maker followed the conventional format of the distinctive half-moon blade and straight shaft. There are five panels on the front and back of the shaft, and four on the blade, each depicting a running figure with headdress. The deity or ancestor figure delineated here is probably Naymlap, described in 1568 by Miguel Cabello de Balboa.¹ His characteristic winged or comma eye and plumed headdress are here augmented with an extra pair of limbs. Naymlap is credited as the founder of the Sicán dynasty, which lasted more than 500 years.

Wave-pattern (running-scroll) borders combine with decorative dots, resulting in a lively and unified ornamental schema. The engraving style seems rudimentary in contrast to other examples (cats 110, 114), which may indicate that this is an early example of the technique.

Christine Dixon

1. See, for example, Christopher B. Donnan, Chotuna and Chomancap: Excavating an ancient Peruvian legend, Los Angeles: UCLA Colsen Institute of Archaeology 2011.

The plain gold tumi or sacrificial knife was made with gold foil or thin sheets, and engraved with a burin. Although much simpler than the tumi with an intricate finial of Naymlap inlaid with gemstones (cat. 107), its maker followed the conventional format of the distinctive half-moon blade and straight shaft. There are five panels on the front and back of the shaft, and four on the blade, each depicting a running figure with headdress. The deity or ancestor figure delineated here is probably Naymlap, described in 1568 by Miguel Cabello de Balboa.¹ His characteristic winged or comma eye and plumed headdress are here augmented with an extra pair of limbs. Naymlap is credited as the founder of the Sicán dynasty, which lasted more than 500 years.

Wave-pattern (running-scroll) borders combine with decorative dots, resulting in a lively and unified ornamental schema. The engraving style seems rudimentary in contrast to other examples (cats 110, 114), which may indicate that this is an early example of the technique.

Christine Dixon

1. See, for example, Christopher B. Donnan, Chotuna and Chomancap: Excavating an ancient Peruvian legend, Los Angeles: UCLA Colsen Institute of Archaeology 2011.