Pre-Columbian, Peru, Chavin Maranon, ca. 800 BCE. A hand-built pottery vessel of sizable form depicting a cargador (carrier) figure who transports a load of objects via a segmented tump line wrapped across the top of his head. The vessel features a planar base, a bulbous body with protruding knees, hands, and head, a stirrup-shaped handle, and a barrel-shaped spout with an incised striation just beneath the rounded rim. The highly burnished, orange-ground figural vessel is decorated with incised rings painted in red-orange pigment, white spots, and a trio of raised nodules along the verso, perhaps depicting the carried load. The raised head exhibits a sharp nose, bulging eyes, and a red-painted mouth. Size: 6.2" W x 9" H (15.7 cm x 22.9 cm)

Vessels like this one probably were used for holding offerings and pouring libations of chicha over graves and the bodies of the dead. The artwork of Chavin represents the first widespread style in the Andes, inspirational to later cultures, especially the Moche. Chavin polychrome stirrups are extremely rare and are found only on the Jequetepeque River on its estuary called Cayalti, or in the Amazonas part of the Maranon River. The Chavin people lived in the northern Highland Andes, and their capital, Chavin de Huantar, is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The artwork of Chavin represents the first widespread style in the Andes.

This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full printed and bound report is available to the buyer upon request.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection, before 2010; ex-private Hans Juergen Westermann collection, Germany, acquired in the 1950s to 1960s

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#173813

Professional repair and restoration to upper half of spout, with resurfacing and overpainting along new material and break lines. Minor abrasions and fading to pigment commensurate with age, with small nicks, and softening to some finer details. Great preservation to overall form. Previous collection label beneath base. TL drill holes beneath base and under handle.