Description:

Pre-Columbian, Peru, Inca, ca. 1470 to 1532 CE. A sizeable and quite hefty canopa vessel, hand-carved from a jet black stone and polished until smooth. The llama has a rotund ovoid body with a somewhat rounded base (though it does stand on its own), a rounded tail, and a deep interior cavity bored into the back. The raised head exhibits a wavy dewlap, delineated eyes, and a broad snout with an open mouth. Canopas typically depicted alpacas, llamas, or other camelids and were traditionally buried in the animals' corrals to protect the herds as well as promote fertility and virility. The cavity on the back would have been filled with offerings such as coca leaves, maize, or animal fat in order to appease the gods. Size: 5.75" L x 4.5" H (14.6 cm x 11.4 cm)

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; acquired from Skinner Auction: American Indian & Ethnographic Arts - 3415T Marborough, Massachusetts, USA (July 22, 2020 lot# 1050)

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#159281

  • Condition: Chips to rim of cavity on back of camelid, tips of dewlap, tail, base, and areas of the body. Losses to ears and snout as shown. Collection labels on underside of base.

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March 4, 2021 8:00 AM MST
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