**First Time At Auction**

Pre-Columbian, South Coast Peru, Nazca, ca. 1 to 700 CE. A vibrant hand-built earthenware olla of a round-bottomed piriform shape, extensively decorated with a mesmerizing register of trophy head tasters and trophy heads delineated in hues of russet red, tawny orange, creamy beige, black, and white. Archaeological evidence from the 20th century shows that the stylized trophy head so prevalent in Nazca artwork was based on actual rituals. Over one hundred mummified trophy heads were found during Nazca excavations! Size: 5.375" W x 6.125" H (13.7 cm x 15.6 cm)

Archaeologists specializing in this culture continue to argue over the significance of these heads. Did they represent Nazca warriors fallen in battle? Were they part of a ritual associated with taking the power of enemies by assuming ownership of a crucial part of their bodies? Were they collected as remembrances dedicated to deceased relatives? Scholars are still investigating, using the artwork on pieces like this to better understand this practice.

Provenance: private Orlando, Florida, USA collection; ex-Antiques and Artifacts, Cape Coral, Florida, USA, before 2010

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#162722

Expected surface wear with minor scuffs and abrasions commensurate with age. Areas of slight pigment loss, but most remains and decorative/iconographic program is still vivid. Small chips to rim. Half inch hairline fissure from rim. Old collection number handwritten on bottom.