Pre-Columbian, Bolivia, Tiahuanaco (Tiwanaku), ca. 400 to 1100 CE. A heavy pottery kero (quero) with a projecting, three-dimensional jaguar face rising from one side of the rim. The body, which tapers to a rounded, flat, flared foot, is covered in incised geometric forms: crosses and squares. The rim has a tail-like protrusion opposite the jaguar head; between these two are three flared, rectangular projections that rise in regular intervals around the rim, giving it a crenellated look. The heavy pottery is riddled with exposed metallic fragments, a product of the mineral-rich soil of Bolivia. The jaguar was a symbol of authority and power in the ancient altiplano. Size: 7.15" W x 5.25" H (18.2 cm x 13.3 cm)

Provenance: private Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA collection

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#126838

Small loss to jaguar ear; two small losses to rim that are probably rectangular projections like the others around the rim.