Lot 247
**First Time At Auction**
Pre-Columbian, South Coast Peru, Nazca, ca. 250 to 540 CE. A thin-walled, round-bottomed polychrome vessel of a somewhat piriform shape with a tapering neck, wide mouth, and twin, perforated lug handles, its exterior walls hand-painted with a wide register featuring four abstract references to the Masked Mythical Being comprised of wide-open eyes looking out from the center of star-like motifs with multiple, overlapping stellar rays, all in red, orange, black, and white hues. While the Nazca did not leave written records explaining this mythical being, painted representations on pottery vessels suggest an association with trophy heads and/or agricultural functions. A well-executed example, impressive for its form and iconography. Size: 6" in diameter at widest point x 5.625" H (15.2 cm x 14.3 cm)
The fact that we see a pair of entites referencing the underworld deity or the Masked Mythical Being on each side of the vessel is indicative of the concept of dualism that is so deeply rooted in Andean cultural traditions. Pairs of entities reflect the fundamental understanding of the continuum between life and death, male and female, sun and moon, left and right, day and night, peaks and valleys . . . central complementary ideologies that determined the religious beliefs and practices of Andean societies.
Provenance: ex-private Boulder, CO, USA collection; ex-private Lawrence Buchanan and Dr. Enrique Von Kiguel collection; acquired 1970 to 1980
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#121663
- Condition: Intact. Expected surface wear with pigment losses commensurate with age.
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