Pre-Columbian, Northern Peru, Inca, ca. 1400 to 1532 CE. A marvelous and musical pottery whistling vessel comprised of 2 chambers, each with a band of relief zoomorphs and adorned in hues of orange, beige, black, and white. A pair of towering spouts surmounts the vessel, one with a flared rim and the other topped with a seated feline, likely a jaguar. The relief animals are all shown in profile facing right, with mouths open as though biting one another's tails. Blow through the open spout to emit a high-pitched whistle from the feline at the other side! Size: 8.8" W x 7.9" H (22.4 cm x 20.1 cm)

The iconography of this vessel is highly symbolic, as the jaguar symbolized power and might throughout the Pre-Columbian world. Warriors, rulers, hunters, and shamans alike associated themselves with this king of beasts, the largest and most powerful feline in the New World. The principal deity of the Moche, whose ceramics inspired subsequent Peruvian cultures including the Chimu/Inca, wears a headdress adorned with a jaguar head and paws and important mortals donned similar headdresses. A nocturnal animal, the jaguar sleeps in caves and dark places and creeps quietly in the forest, evoking great mystery.

Provenance: private Ferndale, Michigan, USA collection; ex-private Detroit, Michigan, USA collection, acquired prior to 2004

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#182558

Still functions as a whistle. Small hole to side of 1 chamber with nicks and abrasions to surface, commensurate with age. Otherwise, mostly intact with nice presentation and impressive remaining pigments. Old collection number inscribed on underside of bridge.