Petite Chavin Stone Drug Container w/ Standing Figure

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Ancient / Ethnographic Around The World

By Artemis Gallery

Mar 12, 2020

Set Reminder 2020-03-12 10:00:00 2020-03-12 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Ancient / Ethnographic Around The World https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/ancient-ethnographic-around-the-world-4957
Ancient art from Egypt, Greece, Italy and the Near East, as well as Asian, Fossils, Pre-Columbian, Native American, African / Tribal / Oceanic, Spanish Colonial, Russian Icons, Fine art, much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  Pre-Columbian, North Coast Peru, Chavin culture, Late Period, ca. 500 BCE. A beautiful drug container of a miniscule form, hand-carved from attractive jet-black stone. The vessel is defined by a flat base, a cylindrical body, a thick rim, and a deep basin. The front of the container features a standing anthropomorphic figure of a characteristically abstract presentation with attenuated legs, bent arms placed atop the abdomen, stocky shoulders, and a rectangular head. The minimalist visage exhibits slit-form eyes and lips, a wide nose, and an incised forehead cleft beneath a short coiffure. Lightly incised curvilinear and abstract zoomorphic motifs decorate the lateral and back sides of the body, and a petite face is displayed beneath the base. A fabulous example of late Chavin artistry! Size: 1.5" W x 2.25" H (3.8 cm x 5.7 cm); 5.625" H (14.3 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  The Chavin people lived in the northern Highland Andes, and their capital, Chavin de Huantar, is an 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. 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 features. At the very center is a towering stone stela depicting an anthropomorphic figure with a jaguar head and a human body, believed to be Lanzon, the chief deity of Chavin. Researchers believe that worshippers ingested hallucinogenic drugs 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 Hawaii, USA collection; ex-private Hans Juergen Westermann collection, Germany
  
  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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  #148456

  Condition

  Minor nicks and abrasions to rim and base, with softening to some finer details, and light encrustations within some recessed areas, otherwise intact and excellent. Light earthen deposits throughout.
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