The divine heart of things

Pre-Columbian art – a large proportion of the artefacts deriving from a ritual context – was among the early passions of the collector couple Irene and Peter Ludwig. The collection today is a permanent part of the inventory of the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum – Cultures of the World in Cologne. The catalogue presents about 200 objects – mainly artefacts made from stone, clay and gold. One third of the exhibits come from Mesoamerica; two thirds from South America. Northamerica is represented by a small group of ceramics from the Mimbres Culture. Die Sammlung präkolumbischer Kunst – darunter mehrheitlich Objekte aus rituellen Kontexten – war in den 1960er Jahren eine der frühen Leidenschaften des Sammlerehepaares Irene und Peter Ludwig.