Maize cobs

Maize cobs. Inka. c. 1440–1533 C.E. Sheet metal/repoussé, metal alloys.

• gold-silver alloy corncob sculpture. It mimics the appearance of a ripe ear of corn breaking through its husk, still on the stalk but ready to be harvested. Inka metalsmiths expertly combined silver and copper to mimic the internal and external components of actual corn.
• While many ancient Andean art traditions favored abstract and geometric forms, Inka visual expression often incorporated more naturalistic forms in small-scale metal objects. 
• After the Spaniards arrived in the Andes, the European invaders soon desired the gold and silver belonging to the Inka. After the defeat of Inka leadership in the 1530s, spaniards looted Inka objects in large quantities and sent many back to Spain. The Inka commonly deployed small-scale naturalistic metallic offerings, like the silver alloy corncobs, in ritual practices.