Pre-Columbian Americas
Moche or Chimú culture, Peru
Finial in the Form of a Bird
A.D. 400–1000
Copper, shell
H. 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm)
Raymond and Laura Wielgus Collection
Indiana University Art Museum, 94.222

The delicacy and fine craftsmanship of this finial indicates that it was probably owned by a person of importance, and may even have served as an insignia of rank. The bird's rich green surface is a patina which has developed over the centuries; its original appearance would have been quite different.