Peruvian Silver – 2000 years of art

Peru - 2 000 years of Silver Art displays almost 200 specimens testifying to the skill of Peruvian silversmiths. The earliest artefacts originate from Indian civilisations preceding the Incas, and the latest ones from recent years. On display is a wide spectrum of silver artefacts, the significance and purpose of which have varied through the ages and have concerned different areas of life.

Ownership of silver objects was the privilege of rulers and the elite almost throughout Peru's pre-Columbian era right up to the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in 1532. Silver objects were used only by people of a high station, either politically or religiously. Gold and silver formed an important dual deity in Peruvian civilisation, symbolising the sun and the moon. Gold was the symbol of the Sun, or Inti, representing masculinity, natural phenomena and the right-hand side. Silver was the symbol of the Moon, or Mama Quilla, representing femininity, fertility and the left-hand side. After the Spanish conquistadors reached Peru in the 16th century, the use of silver also spread amongst the bourgeoisie and other people and began to be seen in everyday objects. The skill of the silversmith is actively maintained in Peru to this day. The country's long history and its modern age intertwine in a fascinating way in contemporary silver art.

Peru - 2 000 years of Silver Art has been produced by the Sinebrychoff Art Museum in Helsinki, and it has made possible through co-operation with Patronato Plata del Perú foundation.

Artefacts by Peruvian silversmiths from centuries ago up to the present day.