Pre-Columbian, South Coast Peru, Nazca, ca. 200 to 400 CE. A large polychrome kero modeled in the form of a human trophy head (though interestingly we see no pinned lips as is customary), with details painted in a rich color palette of red, orange, chocolate brown, white, and peachy hues. Its expressive countenance is comprised of a relief nose, wide-open eyes with dramatic scars delineated beneath and arched brows above, a mustache and goatee as well as a straight coiffure with a fringe of bangs framing the visage, topped by a zigzag headband or crown. A magnificent example! Size: 5" W x 6.25" H (12.7 cm x 15.9 cm)

Mummified trophy heads date to the pre-ceramic period in ancient Peru. Perhaps the most extensive practice of headhunting occurred along the south coast of Peru in the Nazca and Inca valleys where the early Paracas and succeeding Nazca cultures resided. Head-taking was a significant component of their warfare and religious mythology. A warrior could increase his might and status by capturing prisoners for head-taking. According to scholar Paul A. Clifford, the fact that the lips of trophy heads are pinned shut " . . . implies that head-taking might mean the acquisition of a slain enemy's power or the prevention of his soul or spirit from harming the killer. Pinning lips shut on the trophy head could inhibit the loss of the soul or power embodied within the head." (cf. Art of the Andes: Pre-Columbian Sculptured and Painted Ceramics from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation: Washington D.C., 1983, p. 251.)

Provenance: private New York, USA collection; ex Collection Professor Dr. Gunther Marschall (1913 - 1997), Hamburg; ex Kunsthaus Lempertz, Cologne Auction 490, 1966, 2014

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#128306

Slight surface wear and slightly abraded rim.