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Vintage Signed Peruvian Sterling Silver Pre-Columbian Symbols Storyteller Pin

Vintage Signed Peruvian Sterling Silver Pre-Columbian Symbols Storyteller Pin

$ 23.76

Availability: 13 in stock

Condition: This is a vintage (possibly antique) item that shows wear and some scratches, and also has a slight bend that is (at least to me) barely noticeable. See photos for more detail. In my opinion, the bend is so slight that it doesn't detract from the attractiveness or how wearable it is. Ultimately, whether or not to address this flaw will be up to the its new owner. The piece has been wiped down with an anti-viral, anti-bacterial wipe and polished with a silver polishing cloth. Normally, I leave items as found, but this one was particularly dirty when I acquired it, so in the interest of public hygiene I cleaned and polished it. This may be off-putting to "Patina Purists", but I did what I thought was best given current public health concerns.

Provenance: Ownership History Not Available

Handmade: Yes

Modified Item: No

Country/Region of Manufacture: Peru

Description
Size Guide

Description

This vintage (possibly antique) storyteller pin/brooch is solid sterling silver. The pin is made up of four different images shown through cut-out/openwork and stamping. The images are purposely arranged in order to convey a message (tell a story). The piece is signed with the silversmith's initials - either "QV, "OV" or "DV" - and "925". I believe the initials are "QV" based on the fact that I found a nearly exact copy of this piece (the only difference is that this piece has openwork or cut-out areas and the other piece I found was solid sterling silver with no cut-outs) and that piece has less wear and the maker's mark is clearly "QV" on it.
The assertion that this pin is Peruvian is based on the images that make up the brooch. They are unmistakably Peruvian/Incan. I don't believe this piece is old enough to claim it was made by the Incan culture, rather I think that it was likely made in the early to mid 20th century by a Peruvian silversmith with the initials of QV and that s/he used classic Incan icons/images/symbols as a way to create this unique storyteller pin/brooch.
I would love to be able to tell you what story or stories this pin conveys. But despite my best efforts, I haven't found a reliable reference document(s) that interpret or translate the story the symbols on this pin are intended to convey. If any of you who read this have anything pertinent to add or correct in this description, I invite you to share it with me and I'll be happy to pass it along.