Description:

Pre-Columbian, Peru, Paracas culture, ca. 500 to 100 BCE. A pair of engraved bamboo items, beautifully preserved despite their great age. One is a flute, the other a container for holding hallucinogenic substances. Each is decorated with a multitude of abstract zoomorphic and anthropomorphic forms, including what looks like a bird-headed shaman figure. Who are these mysterious creatures? What is their meaning? Paracas artists emphasized the more fearsome aspects of all the animals they depicted, as here the long, sharp beak takes precedence. There are "bird impersonators", human figures with bird aspects, who often appear on Paracas textiles, suggesting a tradition of performance where humans dressed as birds. Hallucinogenic drugs were often used by shamans to enter a spiritual state where they could become one with animal life, like birds. Size of flute (the larger): 0.85" W x 8" H (2.2 cm x 20.3 cm); 8.75" H (22.2 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-private Hans Juergen Westermann collection, Germany

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#145245

  • Condition: Rich patina on surfaces of both, with slight fraying to the string around the top of the container. Motifs are fantastically preserved. Some surface cracks along the body of the flute.

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April 25, 2019 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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