Pre-Columbian, Northern Peru, Chavin culture, ca. 900 to 500 BCE. A unique mold-made stirrup vessel topped with a figure playing a musical instrument and painted in lovely hues of russet, black, orange, and creamy beige. Featuring a circular base and horizontal central ridge displayed halfway up the body, the vessel is adorned with a gorgeous incised zigzag design. The bulbous figure on top of the vessel lays on his rotund belly as his cylindrical legs raise behind him showcasing upside-down feet that hang over his back and ribbon-like arms that reach out before him to hold his wind instrument, perhaps a reed pipe, to his mouth. Dressed in beige bottoms with a black belt, a pair of armbands, and an annular, flat-topped hat with three raised stripes, the ancient figure gazes forward, exhibiting large, coffee-bean shaped eyes, a triangular nose painted orange, an incised mouth, and a pair of sizable ears. A tubular stirrup spout rises from his back, presenting a gently flared rim. Size: 6.125" in diameter x 11.625" H (15.6 cm x 29.5 cm)
Provenance: private Spain collection, passed from father to son, before 1980
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#161228
Condition
Repaired from several pieces with areas of restoration on the figure's neck and back. Chip and break line visible on rim. Expected soft nicks and abrasions commensurate with age. Otherwise, very nice with light earthen deposits in recessed areas.