Photo Gallery

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Les peuples précolombiens ont travaillé l'or qui avait pour eux une valeur symbolique. Ils en ont tiré des objets rituels parmi lesquels figurent des couteaux sacrificiels appelés tumi. Collection privée

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Succédant aux Mochicas, l'opulent royaume des Chimus connut il y a une dizaine de siècles des fastes éblouissants. De merveilleux joyaux, tel ce masque d'or funéraire (22 carats), aux yeux percés de 14 pendeloques d'émeraudes, furent retrouvés dans les ruines des pyramides colossales en briques de pisé. (Museo de Oro del Perù, Miguel Mujica Gallo, Lima.)

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Précieuse parure de momie d'un tombeau antique de Larache, au nord du Chili, datée d'environ 1.000 av. J.-C. par le Père Le Paige. Deux colliers, l'un en rondelles de turquoises, l'autre en petits tubes de lapis-lazuli, entourent une plaque pectorale en or, une grosse turquoise et quatre clochettes d'or, entre deux «plumes» d'or ajourées. (Museo de San Pedro de Atacama, Chili.)

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
La «déesse des Neiges» reposait à 5.634 mètres d'altitude, sur le Pichu Pichu, l'un des trois volcans à «nom de chat» d'Arequipa. Protégés par une chape de glace et de cendres du «feu de la terre», des momies à colliers de turquoise et quarante crânes humains trépanés disposés en cercle parfait entouraient la petite idole d'or, haute de 8 centimètres. (Museo de la Universidad nacional de San Agustin, Arequipa, Pérou.)

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Haute de 24 centimètres, lourde de 550 grammes, cette «vierge» d'or pur fut retrouvée dans une sépulture de Hualla Hualla, au pied du Nevado Ausengate, sommet déifié du Cuzco. Dix lames d'or soudées et repoussées modèlent cette conopa, splendide pièce de l'orfèvrerie inca. L'aryballe d'or modèle réduit, haut de 10 centimètres, est originaire d'Acomayo. (Museo e Instituto de Arqueologia de la Universidad nacional del Cuzco, Pérou.)

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Sous la longue coiffe rectangulaire des Acllas et fardée de cinabre, une «femme choisie » d'argent doré semble tendre les bras à l'Inca (23 centimètres de haut). (Museo de Oro del Perû, Lima.)

Golden lama - Origin: Teteqaqa, near Cuzco - height 82 mm - Cuzco Archaeological Museum - 1976

Musicians - Inca Norteño - weight 3 g each, height 33 mm - silver, copper and gold alloy - 15th century - Brüning Lambayeque Museum - 1976

Gold death mask - Chimú culture - width 32 cm - Museo Nacional de Antropología y Arqueología, Lima - 1977

Chimú-Lambayeque Culture - XII. Century - Diameter: 10 cm - Weight 25 g - Burial figure dressed with an ornamental skirt and a burial mask on the face - consists of equal parts of gold, silver and copper - cast and hammered - Museo Arqueológico Brünning - Lambayeque - 1976

Two gold vases with turquoise inlays - - 1977

Gold vase of the Chimú culture - Height 20,5 cm, diameter on top 17 cm - Museo Nacional de Antropología y Arqueología - Lima - 1977

Gold vase and ear pendant of the Chimú culture - height of the vase 20,5 cm - diameter top 17 cm - Museo Nacional de Antropología y Arqueología - Lima - 1977

Bangle, pin and earrings of the Chimú culture - Private collection - 1969

The golden tumi of Íllimo was a knife or ceremonial axe of the Lambayeque culture (8th to 14th centuries), although it was long wrongly attributed to the Chimú culture. It was made of embossed gold leaf and inlaid with semi-precious stones. Its blade had a semi-circular shape and its handle was an elaborate representation of a deity, probably the mythical Naylamp mentioned in Spanish chronicles. It is the most famous example of old Peruvian goldsmithing. It was stolen from the Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology in Lima in 1981. The valuable stolen piece had the following dimensions: Total length 43.5 cm; length of the figure of the god 29 cm; length of the knife in the shape of a half-moon 14.5 cm; maximum width 15.5 cm. The weight was 1 kilogram. - 1977

Tumi of gold, ceremonial axe - Height 35,4cm - Weight 457,5 g - 22 carat - set with turquoise - Chimú culture - Museo Oro del Perú - Lima - 1977

Lambayeque culture - gold tumi with turquoise inlays, representing the deity "Naymlap" - 22 carat - weight 536 g - Museo Oro del Perú - Lima - 1977

Gold and silver cast brooch of the Chimú Lambayeque culture - hammered and embossed work - with shells and earrings in turquoise - 12th century - Height 4.5 cm, weight 7 g - Museo Arqueológico Brünning - Lambayeque - 1976

Gold bracelet of the Nazca culture - Colobri figures in flight and rings in high relief - 18 carat - Weight 60 g - Length 14.2 cm, width 7 cm - Museo Oro del Perú - Lima - 1977

Vicus-Frías culture - golden hair remover - 20 carats - weight 41,5 g - height 13 cm - Museo "Oro del Perú" Miguel Mujica Gallo - Lima - 1977

A golden breast ornament from the Tolima culture, Colombia, depicting a bird-human hybrid with an openwork central section and an anchor-like base (10.5 x 19.2 cm, 184 g). Museo del Oro, Bogotá, Colombia. - Book: Picture 63 - Colombia - 1973

Golden Chimú death mask (width 31 cm). Private collection, Switzerland. - Book: Picture 50 - Peru - 1969

A golden figurine known as the ‘Ídolo de Frías’ – so named because it is crafted in the Frías style – but which is attributed to the Vicús culture on the northern Peruvian coast. It was hammered and soldered from 16-carat gold (height 15.5 cm, weight 60 g). Brüning Archaeological Museum, Lambayeque, Peru. - Book: Picture 64 - Peru - 1977

The nave of the church in Andahuaylillas, a small town with a population of around 3,900 near Cuzco. Built at the end of the 16th century on the foundations of an Inca palace, the church contains many colonial treasures, which is why it is often referred to in Peru – in an effort to rival the Old Continent – as the ‘Sistine Chapel of the Andes’. - Book: Picture 133 - Peru - 1976

Three prospectors in the Bolivian Cordillera Real at an altitude of 4,640 metres. Together, these three treasure hunters mine easily accessible deposits of tungsten, tin and gold; they call their method ‘makipura’. - Book: Picture 175 - Bolivia - 1976