Pre-Columbian, Peru, Huari (Wari) culture, ca. 500 to 1000 CE. How fun! A hand-built polychrome ceramic stirrup vessel depicting the head of a jaguar. Painted with a sienna-hued base, this spotted beast features an abstract visage of almond-shaped eyes opened wide with long feather-like lashes, a rectangular nose protruding from a nasal bridge decorated with a quadrilateral motif, and a large open mouth, showing both upper and lower teeth, which are also spotted, all painted in shades of cream, black, beige, green, and blue. Highly burnished, the lustrous vessel exhibits two spouts, also functioning as ears of the jaguar, with a ribbon-like handle arching between them. This tool would have been a grave good intended to hold some kind of libation or offering and was likely made in a specialist workshop. A lovely zoomorphic piece from Huari culture! Size: 6" L x 4.75" W x 5.875" H (15.2 cm x 12.1 cm x 14.9 cm)
Jaguar imagery generally symbolized power and might throughout the Pre-Columbian world; hence, warriors, rulers, hunters, and shamans alike associated themselves with this king of beasts, the largest and most powerful feline in the New World.
Provenance: private Orlando, Florida USA collection;ex-private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-private Hans Juergen Westermann collection, Germany, collected from 1950-1960s
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#158947
Condition
Repainted in some small areas, such as handle and base. Nicks/chips to paint throughout. Otherwise, intact and excellent.