Lot 36E
Pre-Columbian, Central Coast Peru, Huacho region, Chancay culture, ca. 800 to 1200 CE. An amazing polychrome pottery female figure, standing on broad feet and thick legs, with delineated genitalia, a wide abdomen, and attenuated arms folded across its chest. The exterior surfaces boast a colorful palette of striped and circular motifs, representative of clothing such as a loincloth, leggings, arm sleeves, and a rectangular pectoral, all in hues of citrine, ruby, jet, topaz, and wheat. A thick neck supports a tapered head, wide in form with nubbin-shaped ears and nose, a rounded chin, and a projecting top section. Stylized facial details such as the eyes, teeth, and headband are all painted in similar hues exhibited on the body, and provide for a sense of liveliness and movement. Rare in form and appearance, this is a simply stunning example of early Chancay craftsmanship! Size: 10.7" H (27.2 cm).
The Chancay people were exceptional ceramic artisans, and archaeologists have often found figures like these in the tombs of Chancay nobility. Some scholars believe that they were intended to absorb negative energy, though their full function is still unknown; they may have been placed in tombs as companions or guardians of the deceased. Chancay artisans created ceramics that are quite distinctive in form and decoration - finely painted and molded with specific decorative details carefully added by hand. Early Chancay artisans employed a more primitive technique through the use of minimalist lines, boasting a certain ancient charm, though denizens of the Huacho region viewed these additions as important symbolic and communicative embellishments.
Provenance: private Haiku, Hawaii, USA collection; ex-private Baker collection, New Mexico, USA
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#129691
- Condition: Large repaired crack to one leg with overpainting over the break line. Restoration to tips of both feet. Body displays several areas of overpainting. Age-commensurate surface wear, small chips to ears, breasts, and feet, and some areas of roughness. Fading and slight discoloration to surface pigmentation, with light earthen deposits and nice mineral deposits throughout.
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