Lot 7A
Pre-Columbian, Peru, Inca, ca. 15th to early 16th century CE. A commanding blackware aryballos (arybalo) distinguished by its lustrous burnished surface and the presence of a sinuous relief serpent slithering vertically down one side of its rounded body. The vessel features a sharply flaring neck with everted rim, a pair of small loop handles placed at the shoulders, and a subtly pointed base typical of Inca aryballoi, designed to be wedged into the ground or carried in woven slings. The serpent motif was one of the most potent symbols of Inca cosmology, associated with water, fertility, and the underworld. Known as amaru, the sacred serpent linked realms of existence and served as a mediator between life, death, and rebirth. Its presence on this vessel transforms the utilitarian aryballos - likely used to store or serve chicha (maize beer) - into an object of ritual significance, binding daily sustenance to the sacred order of the cosmos. Size: 5.9" L x 6.8" W x 7.7" H (15 cm x 17.3 cm x 19.6 cm)
The vessel's black surface, produced through controlled firing in a reducing atmosphere, adds to its somber elegance and spiritual weight. Aryballoi of this scale and decoration are rare survivals, attesting to the technical mastery of Inca potters and the profound symbolic dimension of their ceramic tradition.
Provenance: private Colorado collection, USA; 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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#197045
- Condition: Chips, nicks, and abrasions as shown, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, intact and very nice with rich earthen deposits on interior. Old collection labels on underside of base.
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| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
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