Pre-Columbian, Nazca culture, Peru South Coast, ca. 100 to 400 CE. A polychrome pottery drinking vessel (kero) with a slightly corseted body, a flaring rim, and a gently rounded base. Around the exterior rim is a register of trophy heads; below that is a larger, more complex motif, featuring repeated images of legs projecting from vessels above trophy heads, spirals, and lightly cross-hatched lines. This item would have been used for drinking fermented chicha, a type of corn beer, and probably placed into a burial to hold offerings. Size: 5" W x 5.25" H (12.7 cm x 13.3 cm)

In Nazca culture - and other ancient Peruvian cultures - the decapitation and ritual use of human heads was common; many mythical figures and kings known from Nazca pottery are shown holding trophy heads or in the presence of trophy heads. This kero shows the unassociated trophy heads, with no one holding them, which is a style of depiction common only to Nazca art. Archaeological evidence from the 20th century shows that these stylized paintings are based on real rituals - over one hundred mummified trophy heads have been found from Nazca excavations, almost all with a puncture to the front of the skull for suspension. Archaeologists specializing this culture continue to argue over the significance of these heads in Nazca culture - warriors fallen in battle? Taking the power of enemies by assuming ownership of a crucial part of their bodies? Remembrance of deceased relatives? The artwork here is an intriguing reminder of this lost culture.

Provenance: private Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA collection, acquired from Whelan Fine Art Gallery

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#124820

Small chip from rim and one stable crack on side.