Lot 89A
Pre-Columbian, north coast of Peru, Chavin culture, 900 to 200 BCE. Representing the pinnacle of Chavin art and showing distinct traits of the earlier Maranon influence, this jar is spectacular in design and decoration. It is also amazingly well-preserved for its age! The surface is decorated with polychrome slip in brick red, orange, and creamy white, and along with the molded shape, it creates a fanged underworld deity who graces the front of the vessel and wears a huge, crested headdress. The rear of vessel has three feather-like designs that seem to extend behind the head of the deity. Repeating zig-zags adorn the lower section of the vessel, perhaps meant to evoke the steps of a pyramid. A tall, gently tapering spout rises from the center of the vessel. Size: 5" W x 9.5" H (12.7 cm x 24.1 cm)
The Chavin represent the first widespread artistic tradition in the Andes (and are often compared to the Olmec in terms of inspiration for later periods), and they worked to make elaborate designs even though the advanced molding and firing techniques that would come to Peru later had not yet developed. Vessels like this one were very popular, and were probably made to hold chicha, a fermented corn beer drink. The figure depicted on this vessel is probably Lanzon. Lanzon, the chief deity of Chavin, is carved on a towering stone stelae kept inside the labyrinthine Old Temple, one of the earliest built parts of the massive, flat-topped pyramid at the center of the Chavin capital, Chavin de Huantar. Lanzon is depicted with a jaguar head with huge fangs and hair made of snakes.
This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full report will accompany purchase.
Provenance: ex private German collection; ex Alt Amerikanisches Museum, Zurich, Switzerland, collected between 1950 and 1960
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#102096
- Condition: Intact and near choice with a tiny bit of surface wear and deposits.
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