Description:

Pre-Columbian, North Coast Peru, Lambayeque region, Sican culture, ca. 750-1375 CE. Known for their adept pottery techniques, the Sican used ceramics as a means to express their politics as well as religious ideology. Vessels with animal effigies were favored. In this bridge-spouted whistling vessel, the artisan featured a bird with a serpent in its mouth. This pairing would persist through the time of the Aztecs who believed that the god Huitzilopochtli commanded his people to find an eagle perched atop a prickly pear cactus (nopal in Spanish) growing on a rock submerged in a lake. Said eagle had a serpent trapped in its mouth. Archaeologist Izumi Shamada named the Sican, a term that means "temple of the moon". The Sican culture succeeded the Moche; however, there is some sense that the two cultures may have overlapped. 7 1/2"L x 3 1/2"W x 6 3/4"H

Ex- Colorado Springs Collection

All items in this auction are legal to buy/sell under U.S. statute covering cultural patrimony per United States Code 2600, CHAPTER 14 -- CONVENTION ON CULTURAL PROPERTY, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

  • Condition: Functioning whistling vessel. Some surface wear and repaired. Appears in excellent condition.

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April 16, 2014 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,000
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $25,000