Description:

Pre-Columbian, Peru, Huari (Wari) culture, ca. 600 to 1000 CE. A finely painted pottery kero, the classic ritual beaker of the Andes, crafted with slightly flaring walls and a rounded base. The exterior is decorated with bold geometric panels in deep red, black, and cream pigments, featuring stylized fish motifs with dotted bodies suggesting scales. Such imagery reflects the Wari integration of coastal iconography into their highland imperial culture, underscoring the empire's vast reach across ecological zones. The Huari were among the first great Andean states, preceding the Inca by centuries, and their keros were essential in ceremonial feasting and libations. Used for the ritual consumption of chicha (corn beer) and other sacred liquids, these vessels embodied acts of reciprocity with deities and ancestors, central to Wari religious and political life. Painted decoration conveyed cosmological significance while also marking elite identity, transforming a simple drinking vessel into an object of power and symbolism. Size: 4.6" Diameter x 4.3" H (11.7 cm x 10.9 cm)

Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection; ex-Yossef Maiman collection, Herzilya, Israel, before 2003; ex-Kemper collection, Switzerland, from the 1940s - 1980s, donated to The Museum of Islamic Art, Jerusalem, Israel, 1970s

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#197651

  • Condition: Chipping to rim and base, as well as nicks and abrasions commensurate with age. Otherwise, intact and very nice with good remaining pigments and detail. Scattered earthen deposits throughout. Old collection labels on underside of base.

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

Artemis Fine Arts

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