Lot 97
Pre-Columbian, northern Peru, Vicus culture, ca. 200 BCE to 600 CE. An adorable pottery vessel in the form of a feline, perhaps a jaguar, holding her young in her mouth. Standing upon 4 short legs, the animal a sizable head with bulging eyes, jagged teeth, and delineated whiskers, all surmounted by a pair of perky ears. A braided collar encircles her corseted neck, while her slender tail curls atop her back. The feline's posterior curves upward to form the vessel's spout. The Vicus culture is one of the earliest known ceramic making traditions in Peru, comparable to the Olmec in Mesoamerica, and in this vessel you can see the tradition that would lead to later styles like those of the Moche and the Inca. An intriguing piece of Vicus pottery! Size: 9.3" L x 2.9" W x 5" H (23.6 cm x 7.4 cm x 12.7 cm)
Throughout the Pre-Columbian world. Warriors, rulers, hunters, and shamans alike associated themselves with the jaguar, the largest and most powerful feline in the New World. What's more, the principal deity of the Moche, another Peruvian culture, wears a headdress adorned with a jaguar head and paws and important mortals donned similar headdresses. A nocturnal animal, the jaguar sleeps in caves and dark places and creeps quietly in the forest, evoking great mystery.
For similar examples, please see the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University (1989.008.134), Birmingham Museum of Art (2001.94), and the Fowler Museum at UCLA (X96.8.55).
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 will accompany the item upon purchase.
Provenance: private Charlotte, North Carolina, USA collection; ex-Arte Xibalba, Osprey, Florida, USA, acquired in November 2007
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#179785
- Condition: Professionally repaired with restoration in areas; all done very well and difficult to notice. A few small chips to rim and some nicks and abrasions to surface as shown, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent presentation with great remaining pigments and light earthen deposits throughout. TL holes to underside of head and beneath proper back left leg.
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