Lot 114A
Pre-Columbian, Ecuador, Panzaleo culture, ca. 500 to 1500 CE. A delightful blend of utility and whimsy, this figural jar conjures the wise watchfulness of an owl with the earthy charm of Andean ceramic tradition. Modeled in buff-orange terracotta with a softly burnished surface, the vessel takes on the form of a wide-bodied bird, its head doubling as the neck and mouth of the jar. With incised concentric circles for eyes and a small, protruding beak, the anthropomorphic visage peers outward in stylized stillness. Across the surface, cream and red slip-painted bands create a rhythmic feather motif, radiating down from the shoulders in diagonals that evoke wings in mid-tuck. These linear decorations are not merely decorative but echo ancient practices of symbolic abstraction in Panzaleo pottery, where surface embellishment often suggests the spiritual essence of the creature depicted rather than a literal rendering. Size: 6.9" Diameter x 7.4" H (17.5 cm x 18.8 cm)
Vessels of this type are characteristic of the Panzaleo culture of highland Ecuador, known for producing red and white slip-painted ceramics with bold, curvilinear patterns. These jars were likely used in domestic or ritual settings, possibly for storing water or chicha, a fermented maize beverage with communal and ceremonial associations. The owl form, too, may have held symbolic value, as birds of night were often linked to shamanic vision, death, and prophecy in Pre-Columbian cosmologies. Elegant in its simplicity yet animated with character, this vessel bridges form and function, art and animal, gesture and geometry.
Cf. Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, 2006.070.179.
Provenance: Collection of Y. Kayvan, Los Angeles, California, USA, acquired from a Los Angeles, California, USA gallery acquisition dates range from the late 1990s to 2005
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#196082
- Condition: Foot has been professionally repaired with break line visible. Some nicks and abrasions to surface, commensurate with age. Otherwise, body is intact with a nice presentation and good remaining pigments. Earthen deposits to interior.
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