Description:

Pre-Columbian, Central Coast Peru, Chancay culture, ca. 1000 to 1470 CE. A large bichrome pottery jar with a globular body and tall flaring neck, decorated in the distinctive cream and black palette favored by the Chancay. The surface is carefully divided into panels filled with bold geometric motifs, including wavy lines, lattices, and parallel bands that create a rhythmic balance across the vessel's rounded form. Most notable is the sculptural addition at the shoulder: a lizard with a crested head, modeled in relief and attached to one side of the handle. Lizards, with their regenerative powers and close connection to the earth, were potent symbols of renewal and fertility in ancient Andean thought. Their placement on a vessel of this scale suggests a protective or symbolic function, perhaps evoking agricultural abundance or the cyclical rhythms of life. The combination of fine bichrome painting with modeled animal imagery highlights the Chancay's mastery of both form and decoration. Size: 8.5" Diameter x 11.5" H (21.6 cm x 29.2 cm)

Such jars may have served as prestige items, used in ceremonial contexts or as offerings within tombs. The size, striking patterns, and zoomorphic embellishment make this example an especially rare and impressive survival from Peru's Central Coast traditions.

Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection; previously bequeathed to the Museum for Islamic Art, Jerusalem, Israel, stored for many years and exhibited in 1988; ex-Yosef A. Maiman collection, Consul of Peru A.H., acquired in 1993; ex-Kate Kemper collection, Switzerland, acquired in the 1940s or earlier

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#197036

  • Condition: Some nicks and abrasions to surface, commensurate with age, but, otherwise, intact and excellent with impressive preservation of painted decoration.

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October 17, 2025 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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