Pre-Columbian, South Coast Peru, Nazca, ca. 2nd to 4th century CE. An exquisitely painted bridge-spout vessel of a globular form with a rounded base and a mesmerizing arrangement of frogs across its exterior. At its top is a pair of spouts connected by a thin bridge, painted all over in a deep burgundy red hue. The vessel's body has a russet red ground and boasts its most prominent feature - a series of whimsically painted frogs with dark bodies accented with interchanging streaks of cream, orange, blue, and purple hues. Each frog has an identical look of splendor splashed across its face. What a ray of sunshine! Size: 6" W x 6.75" H (15.2 cm x 17.1 cm)

Toads and frogs are common iconography in the pre-Columbian New World, where their tadpole-to-land-animal life cycle resulted in them becoming symbols of rebirth. Some toads were also known for their hallucinogenic secretions and toad remains are commonly found in tombs. The Jesuit Bernabe Cobo, in his "Historia del Nuevo Mundo" written in the early 1600s, recorded that the common toad (in Quechua, the "hampatu") was venerated by local people in the Andes. He noted its connection to water, and Incan art (a successor of the Nazca), such as the stone of Sayhuite, depicts toads in water basins and near other symbols of water. From the life-giving properties of water, it seems likely that toads were also associated with fertility.

Provenance: Deaccessioned from Ashland University, Ashland, OH, donated to the University between 7/14/1994 and 12/31/1998.

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#165423

Surface wear commensurate with age. Light fading the burnished surface along the bridge. Otherwise, in excellent condition and extremely well conserved. Fully intact and in exemplary form!