Pre-Columbian, South Coast Peru, Nazca, ca. 1st century BCE to 2nd century CE. A hand-built pottery vessel of a relatively spherical form with a round but stable base, sloped shoulders, and a stirrup-shaped handle arching between a pair of conical spouts. Highly burnished and presented in hues of purple, khaki, russet, peach, maroon, and jet atop a cream ground, the body presents a pair of highly abstract creatures. Each creature bears 4 minimalist human faces surrounding a large eye enclosed within an inverted triangle, a pair of barb-lined tusks, and a series of severed trophy heads lining the skirt above a pair of paddle-shaped feet. An intriguing example of abstract Nazca artistry! Size: 4.7" Diameter x 5.8" H (11.9 cm x 14.7 cm)
Cf. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 1996.174
This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full printed and bound report is available for $50 to the buyer. Please contact us to request.
Provenance: ex-Drimmer collection, Florida, USA, before 1965
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#165171
Condition
Professional restoration to one spout and petite area of body, with resurfacing and overpainting along new material and break lines. Minor abrasions and fading to original pigments on body commensurate with age, with small nicks to one spout, and smooth earthen deposits on body. Nice preservation to original pigment in most areas. Old inventory label and old inventory number written in black ink beneath base. TL drill holes beneath base and underneath handle.