Rain of the Moon: Silver in Ancient Peru [Paperback]

Heidi King (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2001 | Series: Metropolitan Museum of Art Series

A symbol of power and prestige in ancient Peru, silver also held religious significance, its soft cool sheen symbolising the moon, a female deity. This beautiful book presents objects of silver - items of personal adornment, tomb offerings, and miniatures - from several Peruvian cultures that thrived along the coastal and highland regions of the Andes from the first millennium B.C. to the Spanish conquest of 1532-34. Excavated from the sites of such cultures as the Moche, the Lambayeque, the Chimu, and the Inka, these extremely rare and lovely objects of silver shed new light on a fascinating civilization. This book was published in conjunction with an exhibition held in the fall of 2000 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This book was published in conjunction with an exhibition held in the fall of 2000 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About the Author

Heidi King is research associate in the Department of Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Luis Jaime Castillo Butters and Paloma Carcedo de Mufarech are both at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica, Lima, Peru.

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art (February 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300085125
• ISBN-13: 978-0300085129
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,044,981 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent addition to any library on Peru., August 8, 2002

By 

Allan M. Gathercoal "fdoamerica" (Norcross, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rain of the Moon: Silver in Ancient Peru (Paperback)

Andean societies excelled in metallurgy. The artisans hammered out remarkable jewelry and artifacts for the various royal dynasties (Chavin, Nazca, Wari, Moche, Inca) as far back as the late second millennium B.C.

Silver to the Inka (supreme ruler) symbolized the moon, the female deity and source of life. Gold symbolized the sun (male deity). Silver and gold were equally valued by the Inca civilization and were only to be possessed by the Inka and his royal household.

Quantities of gold objects survived (with no help from the pillaging of the Spaniards from 1532 on), but lesser amounts of silver. The silver which has survived often suffered physicochemical changes. It also appears that silver was less frequently used by the artisans because it was more difficult to locate and process than the more readily available nuggets and flakes of gold.

That said, this book catalogues the New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art's November 2000-April 2001 exhibition of pre-Columbian Peruvian Silver. The "Rain of the Moon" exhibition was made possible by generous loans of major pubic institutions and private collections.

The map and three essays that accompany the 64 photos (color/b&w) are very informative. The photos are of excellent quality and substantially annotated.

This is an excellent addition to any library on Peru.

Emphatically recommended for students of Peruvian culture, South American anthropologists and archeologists. Highly recommended

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, March 20, 2009

By 

L. Kelly "lk950" (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rain of the Moon: Silver in Ancient Peru (Paperback)

Wonderful book.............full of great and interesting information. Well written and fantastic photographs (all black and white) of early Inca Silver artifacts.

I will treasure this book.