Description:

Pre-Columbian, Nazca culture, Peru South Coast, ca. 100 to 400 CE. This is a gorgeous piece that exemplifies many of the classic hallmarks of the Nazca people's distinctive pottery. This is a polychrome pottery drinking vessel with a body shape and a spout and handle out of the back of the head, all atop a gently rounded base, made to be buried in sand. The body of the jar is painted to look like a person wearing a cloak with fish on the inside and, on the back, a decoration of skeletal figures pierced by numerous arrows. Severed heads line the bottom of the cape; the figure also wears an elaborate headdress. This item would have been used for drinking fermented chicha, a type of corn beer, and probably placed into a burial to hold offerings. The significance of the severed heads is as trophies from war; whomever the wearer of the cape was, they were most likely a powerful warrior or noble. Size: 5.25" W x 8.5" H (13.3 cm x 21.6 cm)

Provenance: Ex-private Batek family collection acquired in Peru in the early 1960's then handed down through 3 generations.

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#113759

  • Condition: Minor abrasion to reverse else near choice.

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June 2, 2016 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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$300 $999 $50
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$5,000 $9,999 $500
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$20,000 $49,999 $2,000
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
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