Prices take flight for ancient feathered art
Halphen’s array of pre-Colombian feather textiles from Peru dated back to 100AD. Such textiles continued to be made until the Spanish invasion, and were often used as currency by the Incas; the conquistadors, though, suspected them of having mystical powers, and destroyed them whenever they could.
All 17 lots offered in the sale of his collection at Christie’s found takers, for a hammer total of …