Provenance Information

Ex coll. Nicholas Pisaris, Venezuela and United States, collected ca. 1968-1975.

Exhibition Information

To our knowledge, this object has never been exhibited.

Publication Information

To our knowledge, this object has never been published.

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Cumulative facts and circumstances

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

Donor was living and working in Venezuela in the 1960s and 1970s. We have receipts and documentation that support he was collecting in good faith, but we are unable to match the documents to specific objects.

Provenance Information

Ex coll. Nicholas Pisaris, Venezuela and United States, collected ca. 1968-1975.

Exhibition Information

To our knowledge, this object has never been exhibited.

Publication Information

To our knowledge, this object has never been published.

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Cumulative facts and circumstances

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

Donor was living and working in Venezuela in the 1960s and 1970s. We have receipts and documentation that support he was collecting in good faith, but we are unable to match the documents to specific objects.

Provenance Information

with Henry Willard Lende, Jr (1937-2016), San Antonio, TX, by 2016; by gift of the estate of Henry Willard Lende, Jr. to the San Antonio Museum of Art, 2018

Exhibition Information

N/A

Publication Information

N/A

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Cumulative facts and circumstances

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

This object was a gift of the estate of Henry Willard Lende, Jr. (1937-2016) of San Antonio TX, who left behind no records concerning the provenance of this object. SAMA accepted the object with incomplete provenance to make it publicly accessible. This vessel contributes to a focus on South American ceramics in SAMA’s Art of the Americas before 1521 collection.

Provenance Information

with Henry Willard Lende, Jr (1937-2016), San Antonio, TX, by 2016; by gift of the estate of Henry Willard Lende, Jr. to the San Antonio Museum of Art, 2018

Exhibition Information

N/A

Publication Information

N/A

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Cumulative facts and circumstances

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

This object was a gift of the estate of Henry Willard Lende, Jr. (1937-2016) of San Antonio TX, who left behind no records concerning the provenance of this object. SAMA accepted the object with incomplete provenance to make it publicly accessible. This small jar in the shape of an armadillo has drilled holes for suspension. It is unique among SAMA’s pieces in the Art of the Americas before 1521 collection.

Provenance Information

with Henry Willard Lende, Jr (1937-2016), San Antonio, TX, by 2016; by gift of the estate of Henry Willard Lende, Jr. to the San Antonio Museum of Art, 2018

Exhibition Information

N/A

Publication Information

N/A

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Cumulative facts and circumstances

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

This object was a gift of the estate of Henry Willard Lende, Jr. (1937-2016) of San Antonio TX, who left behind no records concerning the provenance of this object. SAMA accepted the object with incomplete provenance to make it publicly accessible. This vessel contributes to a focus on South American ceramics in SAMA’s Art of the Americas before 1521 collection.

Provenance Information

with Henry Willard Lende, Jr (1937-2016), San Antonio, TX, by 2016; by gift of the estate of Henry Willard Lende, Jr. to the San Antonio Museum of Art, 2018

Exhibition Information

N/A

Publication Information

N/A

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Cumulative facts and circumstances

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

This object was a gift of the estate of Henry Willard Lende, Jr. (1937-2016) of San Antonio TX, who left behind no records concerning the provenance of this object. SAMA accepted the object with incomplete provenance to make it publicly accessible. This vessel has a rare depiction and is the only of its kind among SAMA’s Art of the Americas before 1521 holdings.

Provenance Information

Leon Pomerance, New York, probably mid-1960s to 1988; The Merrin Gallery, New York, 1988; William B. Ziff, Jr., New York, 1988 to 2019

Exhibition Information

Yale University Art Gallery, Weaving and the Social World, 3000 Years of Ancient Andean Textiles, May 20 to September 1, 2016

Publication Information

None

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Informed judgement that works were outside of the country of modern discovery before 1970

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

The disk’s first reported owner, Leon Pomerance, died in 1988; a dated, redacted invoice in the museum’s files indicates that, in 1988, the Merrin Gallery sold the disk to a private collector. (This collector was probably William B. Ziff, Jr., since the disk appeared in a 2016 exhibition at Yale University based on Mr. Ziff’s collection.) The date on which Mr. Pomerance acquired the disk is unknown, but the period of probable acquisition can be inferred. Mr. Pomerance played a leadership role in the Archaeological Institute of America starting in the late 1960s—he served on the Institute’s board and as president of its New York chapter (Leon Pomerance Papers, University of Florida, http://www.library.ufl.edu/spec/manuscript/guides/pomerance.htm). Given the Institute’s strong stand on post-1970 collecting, Mr. Pomerance is unlikely to have acquired antiquities lacking a pre-1970 provenance after 1970. In addition, strong circumstantial evidence supports the conclusion that the disk left Peru before 1970. That is, the disk probably belongs to a large group of metal objects that includes approximately 25 similar silver repousse disks; the group, discovered on Peru’s north coast, is described by Alan Lapiner in his book Pre-Columbian Art of South America (Harry N. Abrams, New York, 1976, note 600, p. 447). At least 41 other objects attributed to the group are now in public collections; of them, 36 were acquired in the mid to late 1960s, with one outlier in 1970. Acquisition dates of the remaining 5 require further research but it is likely that they, too, were originally sold in the 1960s, based on the dealers through whose hands they passed or other evidence. Ancient Andean metalsmiths created one of the world’s most distinguished traditions in silver and gold. The museum’s holdings so far include no exhibition-worthy examples of the Chimú accomplishment in metal. Thus, the disk will fill a significant gap and allow the museum to represent Chimú art more completely to the public.

Provenance Information

Erik Jacobsen Collection, to 2019; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn.

Exhibition Information

N/A

Publication Information

N/A

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

N/D

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

N/A

Provenance Information

Before mid-1980s, M. San Marco, Houston, Texas; by mid-1980s, sold by San Marco to Israel Pachenko, Fort Lauderdale, Florida; before 2007, sold by Pachenko to Arte Xibalba, Osprey, Florida; 2007, sold by Arte Xibalba to Douglas Deihl, Northampton, Massachusetts; 2010, gift of Deihl to the MFA. (Accession Date: September 22, 2010)

Exhibition Information

None known.

Publication Information

None known.

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Cumulative facts and circumstances

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

Objects of this sort, i.e., small bone artifacts, are relatively common when considering the scope of Chimú cultural material. Its small size, inexpensive materials and relatively low historical value make the flute's provenance difficult to trace.

Provenance Information

Inherited by donor from Richard Levine in 2007; acquired by Levine from Steve Berger of San Francisco in 1992 or 1993.

Exhibition Information

The Andean Tunic, 400 BCE-1800CE. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, March 8-Sept. 18, 2011.

Publication Information

None known prior to DAM acquisition.

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Cumulative facts and circumstances

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

The kings of Chimor ruled much of Peru's ancient north coast desert region. Nobles were entombed with precious metalwork, blackware ceramics, and lavishly decorated garments. This exceptionally well preserved garment has an openwork tapestry structure, decorated with numerous tassels. Constructed in a workshop setting by a team of skilled artisans, it reveals important information on Chimu weaving techniques and production methods. Its acquisition by the Denver Art Museum allows the public to understand the great value attached to textiles by ancient Andean peoples, and the technical and artistic mastery they achieved. It also makes this work available to scholars for research.