Arizona State Museum – University of Arizona – Dart points from Ventana Cave and Fairbank Site – Cochise Culture – ca. 3000 BC. – South Estern Arizona – USA

Kwakiutl-face mask (University of Colorado - Boulder Museum)

Tsimshian Raven Rattle – State of Alaska Museum - Juneau

Canada – B.C. - Shamans rattle – Tsimshian – Nass River - Museum of Man - Ottawa

Canada – B.C. - Vancouver Island - Painting Longhouse - Cape Mudge Museum - Kwakiutl

Gold mask of King Tutankhamun (18 din.) - Egyptian Museum in Cairo

Pectoral – Goddess Nut mounted on a gold plaque - Egyptian Museum in Cairo

The golden sarcophagus of Tutankhamun dates from 1345 BC. - Egyptian Museum in Cairo

Book of the Dead - Papyrus with Osiris and his sister Isis - Egyptian Museum in Cairo

Golden idols of the Inca Period (Golden Museum, Lima)

Gold mask - The funerary mask of Tutankhamen (Eighteenth Dynasty) is a masterpiece of Egyptian jewellery. It protected the head, shoulders and part of the bust of the young king’s mummy. Made of solid gold, it weighs 11 kg and is 54 cm tall (Cairo Museum). - 1983

The Spirit of the Eagle - For members of the Kwakiutl Nation, ritual masks used to transmit the knowledge of the elders at the Potlatch ceremony, banned in 1884 by the Federal Act of Canada. Since then, the Kwakiutl have managed to recover sacred objects that had been confiscated and preserve them in museums. (Kwakiutl Museum of Quathisaki Cove, Quadra Island, British Columbia) - 1985

The National Museum of Niger in Niamey.

As a reconstructed old village, ‘Ksan has many of the characteristics of a Gitxsan village from times long past. For example, the houses of ‘Ksan, like those of its predecessors, form a single row, with each building facing the river. The village's large decorated house fronts and totem poles are visible from the water. - The ‘Ksan open-air museum near Hazelton.

Among the potlatch goods that were confiscated from the Nimkish in 1921 was this hawk mask, the guardian spirit of a chief. It was returned to the Nimkish and, since 1980, has been on exhibit in Alert Bay at the U’mista Cultural Centre. (See page 134.)

In 1980 the Nimkish Kwakiutl in Alert Bay opened the new Umista Cultural Centre. Its front, decorated with a thunderbird and killer whale, is patterned after an old chiefs house.

A small, densely woven basket with lid. The material is dyed and undyed sweet grass, interwoven to create a scene with water birds and a whaling canoe hunting a killer whale. The basket was acquired from the Makah in 1880. (Ø 24 cm, VM)
VM = Völkerkundemuseum der Universität Zürich

Heiltsuk transformation mask. Closed, it represents a hawk; open, the face reveals its human nature. (68 cm; NMM)
NMM = National Museum of Man, Ottawa

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Le musée de la vice-royauté du Cuzco renferme de très belles collections d'art colonial. Sa porte d'entrée est surmontée d'un linteau où l'on aperçoit les portraits des quatre frères Pizarro.

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Souvenir de la conquête inca en Equateur, ce bracelet d'argent haut de 10,5 centimètres, figure an Museo del Banco central de Quito, Equateur.

A small pot from the Maya culture made of clay. It is a polychrome almost cylindrical bowl in the style of Tepeu I from the Petén. Diameter 12 cm, height 13 cm. - Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología de Guatemala en Ciudad de Guatemala - 1977

A polychrome pot of the Maya culture made of clay. It is a Magdalena phase bowl with human motifs and hieroglyphics. The place of discovery is San Agustín Acasaguastlán. Diameter 14.3 cm, height 20.5 cm. - Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología de Guatemala en Ciudad de Guatemala - 1977

Funerary vase from temple no. 1 in the ruins of Tikal, Guatemala. It is a polychrome ceramic vessel with a height of 29.8 cm and a diameter of 17.3 cm. This beautiful example dates back to 700 AD. (Museo Nacional de Tikal). The vase represents two figures. One of them is seated; he seems to occupy a particularly important place in the social hierarchy of his group judging by the way he is dressed and the monumental headdress he wears. A number of hieroglyphs and essentially symbolic decorations can also be seen on this pottery, which are closely related to the scene depicted. These signs make it possible to date the funerary vessel with a fair degree of accuracy. Indeed, archaeologists have come to the conclusion that the vessel is about 1300 years old. The colours used are extremely delicate and show both the taste and the incomparable mastery of pre-Columbian artists. The manufacturing techniques were nevertheless very basic, as the Indians did not know how to use a lathe. The method known as the "colombin", known to other populations of the continent, was very widespread among the ancient Maya. It is still used today in many parts of the American continent. It consists of using small clay rods which, when welded together, make it possible to create the desired container. - 1977

Burial vase from temple no. 1 in the ruined fields of Tikal in Guatemala. It is a multi-coloured ceramic of 29.8 cm height. The diameter of the opening is 17.3 cm. This beautiful piece is thought to have been made around 700 AD and is in the Museo Nacional of Tikal. The vase shows two people, one of whom is seated and seems to occupy a high rank in the hierarchy of the community, judging by her clothing and the powerful headdress she wears. One also notices a number of hieroglyphs and symbolic decorations closely related to the scene depicted. These signs make it possible to determine fairly precisely when the vase was made. Archaeologists believe that it must be about 1300 years old. - 1977

Carved and engraved jade pectoral from the site of Nebaj (Quiché department) in Guatemala. It is 14.5 cm wide and 10.2 cm high (Museo Nacional de Arqueología y de Etnología de Guatemala). This magnificent piece belongs to the late classical Maya civilisation. It proves that the Indian craftsmen worked with an unquestionable mastery of the most diverse materials, be it stone, clay or wood. Imitating their illustrious predecessors of the Formative period, the Olmecs, the Maya used jade, which they imported from the mountainous regions of the continent. From this stone they made a multitude of statuettes, ornaments and representations of their gods. Some of these jade pectorals are often covered with fine engravings that represent figures seen in profile and in the most diverse poses. They have a characteristic face that can still be found today among many Indians of the high plateaus of Mexico and Guatemala. - 1977

Polychrome terracotta vase from the Late Classic Maya period (Chama style) probably representing a priest wearing an impressive headdress made of rainforest bird feathers. This example is 21 cm high; the diameter of the opening is 13 cm (Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología de Guatemala). Maya ceramics, of which a great number of samples have been collected, went through four stages of evolution, from the simplest and most utilitarian forms to more and more complicated, even baroque, ritual vessels and anthropomorphic pieces representing clergy or nobility. Other clay pieces are in the form of mythological animals. The study of these ceramics and their ornamentation has enabled specialists to supplement the information obtained from excavations carried out in the different regions occupied by the Maya throughout the pre-Columbian period. - 1977

Polychrome ceramic plate from tomb no. 33 at Tikal. The interior shows a person dressed in jaguar skin. Diameter 30.5 cm, height 10 cm. - Museo Nacional de Tikal, Guatemala. - 1977

Ceramic plate from tomb no. 33 at Tikal. The figure represents the deity Tchac. Diameter 48 cm. - Museo Nacional de Tikal, Guatemala. - 1977

Painted Chinese porcelain plate from the 18th century, diameter 40 centimetres. The seal of the Dutch East India Company can be seen in the centre. This magnificent piece is kept in the museum in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo. - 1990

This impressive globe is on display at the Correr Museum in Venice. It makes it easy to trace the route of the Spice Route from Asia to Europe. - 1989

The Virgin of Guadalupe (oil on wood, 26 x 37 cm). This miniature is by an unknown 17th-century artist and is attributed to the Quito School, which, from its foundation in the 16th century, had a decisive influence on artistic production in the Andean countries. Many of its pupils, however, remained anonymous. Miguel de Santiago (1655–1706) is regarded as the most significant painter of this school; like the leading sculptor Gaspicara (Scarred Face), he was an Indio. Museo del Banco Central del Ecuador, Quito. - Book: Picture 134 - Ecuador - 1977

Foot bowl from the Tuncahuán-Carchi culture with a bird motif (diameter 21 cm, height 8.5 cm). Museo del Banco Central del Ecuador, Ouito. - Book: Picture 51 - Ecuador - 1977

Bowl with monkeys - Tuncahuan culture - 500 BC to 500 AD - negative painting of beeswax and honey - diameter 19cm, height 8.5cm - Museo Banco Central Quito, Ecuador - 1977

Vase from the Panzaleo culture with negative ornamentation (top diameter 13.5 cm, height 19 cm). The Panzaleo culture flourished in the provinces of Tungurahua and Cotopaxi between 500 BC and 500 AD. Museo del Banco Central del Ecuador, Ouito. - Book: Picture 52 - Ecuador - 1977

Ceramics of the culture Tacalshapa in the provinces of Azuay and Cañar, Ecuador - Integration period from 500 to 1400 A.D. - Height 16 cm - Museo Banco Central Quito - 1977

Ceramics of the culture Tacalshapa in the provinces of Azuay and Cañar, Ecuador - Integration period from 500 to 1400 A.D. - Height 23 cm - Museo Banco Central Quito - 1977

‘The Coca Chewer’. Clay figurine (height 32 cm) from the Carchi culture, Imbabura and Carchi provinces, Ecuador. Museo del Banco Central del Ecuador, Quito. - Book: Picture 75 - Ecuador - 1977

Vase in the shape of a nursing woman (height 24.5 cm) from the Carchi culture, Ecuador. Museo del Banco Central del Ecuador, Quito. - Book: Picture 77 - Ecuador - 1977

Pre-Columbian pottery - Ceramics Jama-Coaque culture (coast) - Height 39,5cm - Museo Banco Central del Ecuador, Quito - 1977

Portrait of the South American independence fighter Simón Bolívar, painted by the Peruvian artist José Gil de Castro around 1823. Simón Bolívar (1783–1830), also known as ‘El Libertador’, was a Venezuelan statesman and military leader who played a key role in liberating several South American countries from Spanish rule. The original of this oil painting is housed in the Museo de Arte de Lima (MALI) in Peru. – 1977

‘To the Liberator of Peru, Don Simón Bolívar’. Historical painting by Santiago Juárez, 1825. Museo Histórico Regional de Cuzco, Peru. - Book: Picture 136 - Peru - 1976

Virgin Mary (90x120cm). The painting is thought to date from around 1690; it clearly reveals Byzantine influence, yet is attributed to the Cuzco school, which, alongside that of Quito, was the most important centre of training for painting, sculpture and the arts and crafts in the Andean countries during the colonial period. Museo Histórico Regional de Cuzco (on loan from Vega-Centeno), Peru. - Book: Picture 130 - Peru - 1976

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