Pre-Columbian, Peru, Nazca culture, probably Phase 3 to 4, ca. 200 to 450 CE. A charming and exceptionally-preserved polychrome vessel with a body that narrows from its rounded, wide base up to a round mouth with an unpronounced rim. Around the body is a dramatic painted motif of multi-armed plants with dangling peppers hanging from their segmented branches. The base is bordered from this artwork with a broad band of dark red and another broad band of orange. During these phases of Nazca painting, known as the Monumental Strain, naturalistic representations of plants were common, and chili peppers - also known as aji - were a particularly popular subject. One of the earliest known cultivated plants in the Americas, the chili pepper was used by Andean cultures as in cooking and as a preservative. Its repetition on this vessel may symbolize agricultural abundance. Size: 4.75" W x 5.7" H (12.1 cm x 14.5 cm)

Provenance: private San Francisco, California, USA collection

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#136728

Repaired and restored from multiple large pieces. Light overpainting along the repair lines.