Pre-Columbian, Central Coast Peru, Chancay, ca. 800 to 1200 CE. A hand-built pottery jar depicting a seated anthropomorphic figure. The flat base boasts a pair of curved legs crossed in front of a rotund abdomen decorated with black pigment and an incised, six-stranded pectoral collar surrounding a large semicircular amulet. The figure supports his upright posture with the left arm held to one leg, and raises a small kero with painted star motifs to puffy lips. Raised ovoid eyes, a pinched nose, broad cheeks, and enormous earspools comprise the stylized visage, and an intricate headdress with thirteen applied vertical projections surrounds the mouth of the vessel. Thick swaths of black pigment adorn the nose and mouth while abstract fish-like forms are painted around each eye. This regal figure, perhaps an aristocrat or a lord, is shown imbibing on chicha, a type of fermented corn beer; the vessel itself contained chicha as a funerary offering. Size: 5.875" W x 9.1" H (14.9 cm x 23.1 cm).

Provenance: private Southern California, USA collection, acquired in the 1970s to mid-1980s

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#140819

Repairs to one arm, one shoulder, and one foot, with small chips and light adhesive residue along break lines. Minor nicks to head, body, legs, and base, with fading and some overpainting to some areas of black pigment, and minor abrasions. Light earthen deposits throughout.