Tamba - Earring - nice color - Huari, Perú, 700 - 1200 AD Wood and mother-of-pearl. DIMENSIONS: 3.5 x 3.1 cm PROVENANCE: - Private collection, Paris, France, since 1970. - Thence by descdent, until 2024 to public auction. -Spanish import/export license. CONDITION: Good condition, see photos. The capital of the Huari / Wari Empire was located in the highlands of Southern Peru, near the modern-day city of Ayacucho. At its height, the empire stretched from the territory between Cajamarca in the north and Arequipa in the south, and from the Andean highlands to the Pacific coast, incorporating a variety of different landscapes and making it one of the largest Andean states in history. Wari ceramic crafts display influences from three different styles. Many of their designs are similar to those of Tiwanaku and Pukara, such as the figure of the winged shaman or the Sceptered Figure, while what is perhaps their most notable ceramic vessel—the twin-necked bottle—is evocative of the Nazca culture. Wari ceramics are polychrome, with a highly polished surface. Some large, elaborately decorated polychrome pieces were probably used for ceremonial purposes and display the high technical expertise achieved by Wari craftsmen in terms of large-scale production. The culture also produced high quality textiles that featured the use of polychromatic yarns, brocade and double weave, as well as in the use of feathers for ornamentation. It is believed that the Wari state was a secular society with highly developed warrior castes, rather than a theocratic state in which priests held political power. However, the culture did maintain a religious structure that it imposed on the peoples it conquered, along with its economic and political customs. The Wari probably worshipped gods similar to those of the Tiwanaku people, as the same general array of iconography is found in the arts of these two cultures. The seller guarantees that he acquired this piece according to all national and international laws related to the ownership of cultural property. Provenance statement seen by Catawiki. The piece includes authenticity certificate. The seller will take care that any necessary permits will be arranged.