Pre-Columbian, Peru, Inca, ca. 1438 to 1533 CE. An impressive blackware vessel of a classic aryballos form with a dramatic flared rim supported by a narrow neck and twin loop handles flanking a bulbous body, all atop a conical base. Embellishing the vessel body are four relief panels of stylized jaguars in profile surrounded by stippled grounds. Each of the fierce beasts displays a slender body with an arched back, bent legs, a lengthy front claw, a sinuous, curved tail, and a sizable head dominated by a pair of pointed ears above almond-shaped eyes, a risen nose, and a grinning mouth. Size: 6.125" W x 8.375" H (15.6 cm x 21.3 cm); 8.875" H (22.5 cm) on included custom stand.

The iconography of this vessel is highly symbolic, as the jaguar represented power and might throughout the Pre-Columbian world. Warriors, rulers, hunters, and shamans alike associated themselves with this king of beasts, the largest and most powerful feline in the New World. The principal deity of the Moche, whose ceramics inspired subsequent Peruvian cultures including the Inca, wears a headdress adorned with a jaguar head and paws and important mortals donned similar headdresses. A nocturnal animal, the jaguar sleeps in caves and dark places and creeps quietly in the forest, evoking great mystery. A lovely blackware vessel from these indigenous of ancient Peru, impressive for its artistry, technical prowess, and layered symbolism!

Provenance: ex-private Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA collection, acquired February 27, 2018; ex-Artemis Gallery, Louisville, Colorado, USA; ex-McGill Family collection, acquired before 1980

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#161218

Repairs to one handle, neck, and rim with restoration and repainting over break lines. Some light nicks and abrasions in areas commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent with impressive remaining pigment and details.