**Originally Listed At $650**

Pre-Columbian, Bolivia, Tiahuanaco (Tiwanaku), ca. 400 to 700 CE. A finely woven basket of a flaring trumpet form. Baskets like this one were made from carefully dyed grasses and are a rare reminder of the impressive artistic traditions of the Tiahuanaco civilization. This example features three colors, one a light, warm brown, forming most of the basket, and the other two a darker, more grey-brown and a red-brown which form the repeated interlocking stepped pyramid motifs. Size: 6" W x 3.5" H (15.2 cm x 8.9 cm)

The Tiahuanaco Culture flourished in the Bolivian Altiplano south of Lake Titicaca for more than a millennium. The capital city of Tiahuanaco was the primary cultural and spiritual center from about 300 BCE to 300 CE. In addition to their wonderful artifacts, Tiahuanaco civilization engineered massive stone structures and courtyards where political and religious rites took place - probably the inspiration for the motifs on this basket.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-Ron Messick Gallery, New Mexico, USA around 2005; ex-private T. Misenhimer collection, Beverly Hills, California, USA, collected from 1970 to 2008

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#150909

Small area of loss under the rim - perhaps resulting from how it was once held - but overall in beautiful condition. The colors have darkened with age, and there is some light staining on the interior and deposits overall.