WITH CUECA FLAVOR

Pair of damascened iron spurs. Chile. End of the 19th or beginning of the 20th century.

Elegant pair of spurs, made of iron, with its long shank -barely curved-, formed by a square section in its first section, and open at the end to fit the slice, with important points. Arch with its convex front and flat interior, and its legs that end in a very typical decoration with a first segment with scalloped edges and the square and turned end, with a pair of parallel eyelets. It has a small rim with jagged edges.

Measures. Maximum length: 18.5 cm. Slice diameter: 6.2 cm.

The trans-Andean spur makers stood out for the beauty of the elaborate works and especially for the distinctive use of damascening, or ataujía, as this technique was called in Spain due to its Moorish heritage. The commercial exchange with the region of Cuyo and the Argentine Northwest allowed the incorporation of specimens of Chilean origin in the Creole riding tools of our country. These versions derived in their local elaboration -of spurs and stirrups-, in the Andean provinces, identifiable by the almost absence of damascening (1) and by the smaller slices. Similarly, the basic lines of this model were also adopted by the Araucanian horsemen, who came to use examples cast in silver, in their most sumptuous versions.

Note:

1. In Chile it is called “empepado”, and for its elaboration silver, alpaca or bronze was used.

S.O.XVII-DGL