Chancay Polychrome Female Cuchimilco (Star Gazer) Pre-Columbian, North Coast Peru, Chancay, ca. 800 to 1200 AD. size 6 inches high x 4 inches wide. A standing polychrome pottery female cuchimilco (or star-gazer). The figure has small and perky breasts, exaggerated genitalia, and outstretched arms with bent elbows and stylized fingers. The broad, flat face is dominated by areas of applied red and black pigmentation, possibly indicative of tattooing, with coffee- bean-shaped eyes, semicircular ears with disc-shaped earspools, and a large, triangular nose which juts out from between the eyes. The head is squared off, with a painted headband comprised of straight and undulating linear motifs. The body exhibits dark-hued tattooing marks similar to those on the face, with striped bands across the legs and solid lines across the chest and thighs. This stunning demonstration of pottery artistry exemplifies the artistic prowess of the Chancay culture. Private New York City Collection, Previous private Collection by Materials Engineering Professor, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy New York, Collected from 1960s to 1980s

minor surface roughness else intact