Pre-Columbian, Central Peru, Chancay, ca. 800 to 1200 CE. A hand-built pottery vessel depicting a mother carrying her child on her back. The mother's elaborate hair and headdress form the spout of the jar and the handle. Both baby and mother seem to have undergone skull modification, a common practice among upper class members of Andean society. The Chancay culture produced a great deal of pottery, most of which have been found in the cemeteries of the Ancon and Chancay valleys. Their technique was to mold ceramics with a rough, matte surface that they would then paint with cream and black. Many of the ceramic figures that they made were females who usually, as in this figure, had geometric designs and ornaments on their bodies. Also as in this figure, their eyes are emphasized with dark lines extending away from them. Size: 4.75" W x 9.4" H (12.1 cm x 23.9 cm)
Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection, 1995-2010; ex-private Hans Juergen Westermann collection, Germany, collected from 1950 to 1960s
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#110355
Condition
Baby figure reattached to back of mother at arms and tump straps, with resurfacing and overpainting along break lines. Minor nicks to base, body, head, and child, with light fading to pigment in scattered areas, and light encrustations. Nice preservation to overall form as well as pigment, and craquelure to some painted areas.