Lot 82A
Pre-Columbian, North Coast Peru, Chavin / Cupisnique, ca. 500 to 300 BCE. An extraordinary mask made from pottery- the round face with massive bared fangs and a flared tumi shaped headdress. This Ancient Peruvian culture created centers of worship, such as Chavín de Huántar, that had underground labyrinthine with carvings and stele of an anthropomorphic jaguar figure with snarling teeth and claws. Such as mask may have been worn during such a ceremony as a headdress piece - since the eyes are not pierced for seeing through, but it was more likely such a mask was for funerary practices. The place atop the deceased. Size: 13"" W x 8"" H (33 cm x 20.3 cm); 11.5"" H (29.2 cm) on included custom stand."
The relationship between the Chavin culture and the Cupisnique culture is not well understood and the subject of ongoing archaeological investigations., and the names are sometimes used interchangeably. 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 - the eerie acoustics and complicated floor plan purposefully designed to disorient people before entering the central courtyard and coming abruptly face-to-face with the snarling features of the god. The San Pedro plant has hallucinogenic properties; ritual participants who ingested the substance may have perceived themselves transforming into one of several powerful animals such as jaguars or serpents.
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 Hawaii, USA collection, ex-private Hans Juergen Westermann collection, Germany, collected from 1950-1960s
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#101825
- Condition: One small crack from the top periphery of the headdress with resurfacing over the break line. Expected surface wear and chips to peripheries and high-pointed areas as shown. Nice remains of red and black pigmentation. TL testing holes on verso of headdress and chin. Liberal mineral deposits and burnishing marks.
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