Originally listed at $250

Pre-Columbian, North Coast Peru, Moche, ca. 400 CE. A lovely bichrome pottery vessel representing a cherimoya (also spelled chirimoya and chirimuya) - a succulent fruit native to Peru as well as Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, and Chile - with its characteristic appearance featuring knobby skin radiating from a dimpled center, a gently flaring tubular neck, and a pair of perforated lugs joining neck to shoulder. The flesh within has a creamy texture that inspired another of its names - "custard apple". In 1866, Mark Twain called this fruit, "the most delicious fruit known to men". (M. Twain "Kau and Waiohinu in Kilauea, June 1866" The Sacramento Daily Union, October 25, 1866). The fruit's flavor is said to be a delicious blend of pineapple, peach, strawberry, papaya, and banana. It is often chilled and eaten with a spoon just like ice cream! Also interesting, the name originates from the Quechua word chirimuya which translates to "cold seeds" as the plant flourishes at high altitudes where the temperature is colder. Size: 4.375" L x 5.625" W x 7.5" H (11.1 cm x 14.3 cm x 19 cm)

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-private Hans Juergen Westermann collection, Germany, collected from 1950s to 1960s

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#150519

Intact. Normal surface wear commensurate with age. Scattered deposits. Old collection label on underside.