Lot 90
Pre-Columbian, north coast of Peru, Chavin culture, Tembladera style, ca. 900 to 200 BCE. A beautiful ceramic stirrup vessel in the form of a deer. The deer sits with his legs in relief against his rotund body, his tail projecting from the back of the vessel. His head is raised, a serene look on his face despite his bulging eyes. Pale red cinnabar pigment colors his face and his tail. A tall stirrup handle rises from the center of his belly, topped by a tall spout with an unpronounced rim. A vessel like this one may have been used ceremonially for holding chicha (maize beer) and for pouring libations onto the earth or storing them in the grave. Size: 7.45" W x 9" H (18.9 cm x 22.9 cm)
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, inspirational to later cultures, especially the Moche. Although the meaning behind their iconography is not known, the deer was likely associated with sexuality and fertility because of its prominent antlers and the yearly cycle of shedding them.
Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-private Hans Juergen Westermann collection, Germany, collected from the 1950s to 1960s
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#153468
- Condition: Expertly repaired and restored from multiple pieces; this is so well done as to be almost indiscernible. Great remaining natural pigment with a faint silvery iridescence on the black surface from age.
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