#M56
Ca. 1910s
Watercolours on paper ca. 17,5x25,5 cm (7x10 in). Mounted on a period album leaf ca. 23,5x30 cm (9 ¼ x 12 in), captioned in period ink on the mount. With another watercolour of the same size mounted on verso, the second watercolour is also captioned in period ink on the mount. Overall beautiful bright watercolours.
Attractive early watercolour view of the Pachacamac archaeological site near Lima, drawn by a British or American tourist in the early 20th century. The watercolour shows Pachacamac looking northeast towards the Andes. The site was settled before the Inca conquest and dedicated to the “Earth Maker” creator god Pacha Kamaq. It was utilized by the Incas and flourished for about 1,300 years until the Spanish invasion. Modern-day excavations in Pachacamac started in the 1890s. The watercolour on verso, taken during a ride on the Peruvian Southern Railway (Ferrocarril del Sur), depicts the sand dunes of the Arequipa desert with the Andean foothills in the background. The ink caption on the mount reads “From the train between Mollendo & Arequipa, Peru (7550 ft). March 1.” Overall a collection of two attractive early watercolour views of Peru.
