Originally listed at $1,500...

Pre-Columbian, Central Coast of Peru, Chimu culture, ca. 850 to 1100 CE. A rare example of a mold-formed pottery vessel shaped like a pacay pod (also known as Inga feuilleei) or "ice cream bean," so called due to its sweet flavor as well as its smooth and creamy pulp texture. Highly burnished and enveloped in russet slip, the crescent-shaped body rests atop a flared foot and features 7 bean protrusions on each side that are each surrounded by the thick, banana-like skin. Clinging atop one side of the stirrup-shaped handle is a petite simian creature with huge eyes and a curled tail. Pacay fruits are an ancient legume found in tropical and subtropical climates throughout South America, especially in the Andean states, and are also known as guaba, shimbillo, and guama. Size: 8.375" L x 2.8" W x 7.875" H (21.3 cm x 7.1 cm x 20 cm)

Cf. The Museo Larco, accession number ML006665

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-U.C. collection, acquired By Jurgen Tretter in 1992, in Germany before 1970

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#172621

Minor abrasions and fading to pigment, with small chips around rim, and light softening to finer details on monkey atop handle, otherwise intact and excellent. Great preservation to overall form. Old inventory label beneath foot.