Pre-Columbian, North Coast Peru, Chavin culture, ca. 500 BCE. A wheel-thrown and highly burnished brownware pottery vessel with a flat base, a spherical body with a sloped shoulder, a cylindrical neck, and a petite spout. The front of the body features an abstract human face with incised spiral-form eyes, a handlebar mustache with serpent-head tips, a gaping mouth with ritual drill holes in each bared tooth, a protruding nose atop, and petite ears. The remaining exterior surfaces are decorated with dozens of incised vertical striations suggestive of hair, and soft red cinnabar fills each incised groove. Size: 5.6" W x 7.25" H (14.2 cm x 18.4 cm)
The Chavin people lived in the northern Highland Andes, and their capital, Chavin de Huantar, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The artwork of Chavin represents the first widespread style in the Andes. 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, and the unique countenance depicted here may be a stage in the shamanic transformative process.
This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full report will accompany purchase.
Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-private Hans Juergen Westermann collection, Germany
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#150495
Condition
Restoration to bottom of neck just above face, small repair to rim, and minor resurfacing to scattered areas of face. Abrasions to base, body, and neck, with minor softening to some incised details, and fading to some red cinnabar details. Nice earthen deposits throughout. Two TL drill holes: beneath base, and underneath rim.