Chavin Stone Nude Male Vessel w/ Stopper, ex-Sothebys

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Ancient / Ethnographic From Around the World

By Artemis Gallery

Jul 30, 2020

Set Reminder 2020-07-30 10:00:00 2020-07-30 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Ancient / Ethnographic From Around the World https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/ancient-ethnographic-from-around-the-world-5382
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• Lot Description
  Pre-Columbian, Peru, Chavin, ca. 900 to 200 CE. Finely carved from white stone, a human effigy or possibly shamanic vessel with a stopper atop, the figure representing a nude male with genitalia delineated on the underside of the vessel and a pose akin to that of a contortionist, with knees raised to either side of his body, feet below his chin, and arms behind his calves. The figure also presents an expressive possibly simian visage comprised of wide-open circular eyes, a relatively naturalistic nose with delineated nostrils, an open mouth as if speaking, chanting, or singing, and a pronounced hairline across the forehead with sideburns gracing the cheeks. His simian face, unusual pose, and possible hunchback (a physiognomic deformity believed to be a sign that the individual was touched or chosen by the deities) in concert with his entranced stare and white coloration (a color symbolic of the afterlife), suggests that this figure may represent a shaman undergoing a transformation. Size: 2.5" L x 2.125" W x 2.75" H (6.4 cm x 5.4 cm x 7 cm)
  
  The Chavin lived in the northern Highland Andes, and their capital, Chavin de Huantar, is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the center of Chavin de Huantar is a massive, flat-topped pyramid, surrounded by lower platforms. Between 1200 and 500 BCE the pyramid space was used for religious ceremonies. The Old Temple, constructed very early in the history of the site, consists of a series of passageways built around a circular courtyard; within were carved stone monuments showing jaguars, serpents, and other figures with transformative and/or anthropomorphic figures. At the very center is a towering stone stela depicting an anthropomorphic figure with a jaguar head, a human body, and eyebrows and hair made of snakes. This is Lanzon, the chief deity of Chavin. Researchers believe that worshippers ingested hallucinogenic drugs, prepared using basins like this one, and then were led in the dark through the labyrinthine passageways before entering the central courtyard and coming abruptly face-to-face with the snarling features of the god.
  
  Provenance: private New York, USA collection, begun in 1966; ex Sotheby's November 1994; ex Lands Beyond Gallery
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
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  #151375

  Condition

  Old chip at center of figure's back. Otherwise intact with normal surface wear commensurate with age. Stopper fits vessel perfectly. Nice manganese deposits grace areas.
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