Quimbaya pottery urn ( late period 800 to 1600 A.D. ) very rare piece from the quimbaya culture Start Price USD 99.00 Current Price USD 99.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Thursday, July 17, 2008 End Time Sunday, July 27, 2008 Location Waxahachie, TX See more about 'Quimbaya pottery urn ( late period 800 to 1600 A.D. )' Description miguel122240 store Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 You are looking at a very rare piece from the QUIMBAYA civilization that flourished in COLOMBIA between 500 B.C. and 1600 A.D. The QUIMBAYAS were one of the groups of people  who were living in the mid-Cauca region when the Spanish conquistadores arrived. All archaeological objects found in the region have traditionally been given the name QUIMBAYA,and the QUIMBAYAS have been claimed to have made them, despite the fact that many were made by other peoples, and at different times.. The mid-cauca region, in what are today known as the provinces of Quindio,Risaralda and Caldas, was inhabited for thousands of years by societies with differing life styles and cultures , gold and salt miners, potters and goldsmiths. The gold work of the early period (500 B.C to 600 A.D.) consists of iconic figures of leaders, both men and women, as symbols of identity. Major changes occurred in the late period (800 to 1600 A.D.), when there was great cultural diversity and an increase in the population. The body was painted, bead ligatures were tied to the limbs, and ornaments were inserted in the nose and under the mouth. Gold work, in which much cooper was, used (tumbaga) and pottery became geometric and schematic. These people cultivated the land and mined gold and salt, which they used for bartering. They were hierarchical societys,possible organized as chieftainships where the leaders performed both political and religious duties. The goldsmiths held a prominent position in society. Their technological knowledge and their power to transform metals could be a source of prestige and special esteem. They were viewed by many cultures as ‘Lords of fire “, as the descendants of the Gods with a superior status. They incinerated their dead and deposited their ashes in pottery urns, which they them buried in shallow graves within or near their homes. They placed pottery household and vessels with gold and tumbaga around them. In various cultures, the custom of incinerating the body means transferring the deceased to an initial state so that he or she can be reborn. The funerary urns were shaped like PREGNANT women that these culture used to suggest this spiral vision of life and death. They were made of different sizes , from small ( like the one here offered ) believed to be for a child deceased , to very large to hold the remains of one or more individuals and sometimes remains of animals, as well. This particular urn was found around the 1940’s an a archaeological site  around the city of Manizales in the province of Caldas,there were several other objects and tumbaga pieces with it  that now made part of my collection. This piece has been in my personal collection since the 1980’s and a CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY AND PROVENANCE will be provided with the rest of the history and the names of the experts that have considered this piece as authentic from the period and culture here by described. The piece is in an almost perfect condition, other than an small chip in the sprout. So bid with confidence.   Place a Bid!