Pre-Columbian, Peru, Inca Empire, ca. 1470 to 1532 CE. A wonderful example of an llama or alpaca effigy and offering vessel known as a canopa, carved from a mottled-black stone that is polished until smooth. The llama exhibits characteristic camelid features, elongated neck and wooly fleece and perked ears. A drilled cavity in the back perhaps held animal fat or coca leaves as an offering to the gods in order to ensure fertility and a healthy harvest and herd. The entire canopa would be buried in a field or beneath the animals' corral to protect the llamas or alpacas. Canopas were also regarded as prized personal items, carried by their owners as good-luck talismans. Size: 5" L x 1.75" W x 3.5" H (12.7 cm x 4.4 cm x 8.9 cm)

Provenance: ex-Winters collection, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA; ex-Artemis Gallery auction, December 6th, 2018, lot # 0157; ex-private Southern California, USA collection, acquired in the 1970s to mid-1980s

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#177700

Surface nicks and abrasions, but otherwise intact and great condition.