Description:

Pre-Columbian, Peru, Inca Empire, ca. 1470 to 1532 CE. A bulbous, figural, ceramic vessel, in the form of a toad. His large head rises prominently from one side of the vessel, while his tiny feet project below the front of his body and rise in low relief along the back. His face has huge, almond-shaped eyes, a snub snout, and a wide mouth. The body is decorated all over with black dots, representing the leathery, bumped skin of a real animal. A cylindrical spout with a wide, flared mouth, and rim rises from the center of the amphibian's back. Size: 9.45" L x 7" W x 7.45" H (24 cm x 17.8 cm x 18.9 cm)

Toads and frogs are common iconography in the pre-Columbian New World, where their tadpole-to-land-animal life cycle resulted in them becoming symbols of rebirth. Some toads were also known for their hallucinogenic secretions and toad remains are commonly found in tombs. The Jesuit Bernabe Cobo, in his "Historia del Nuevo Mundo" written in the early 1600s, recorded that the common toad (in Quechua, the "hampatu") was venerated by local people in the Andes. He noted its connection to water, and Incan art, such as the stone of Sayhuite, depicts toads in water basins and near other symbols of water. From the life-giving properties of water, it seems likely that toads were also associated with fertility.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex Hirsch collection, Germany

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#127012

  • Condition: Spout and probe hole on body are repaired and restored, with overpainting. Excellent detail remaining and some manganese deposits.

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October 12, 2017 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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