Lot 132B
Nazca Polychrome Kero - Ritual Drinking Vessel
Nazca Polychrome Kero - Ritual Drinking Vessel
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Pre-Columbian, South Coast Peru, Nazca culture, ca. 200 to 600 CE. A fine polychrome pottery kero (drinking vessel), its flaring walls rising above a slightly convex base to form a tall, hourglass profile. The vessel is painted in a palette of rich red, black, and cream, characteristic of Nazca ceramic tradition, with bold geometric and abstract motifs encircling the exterior. Around the upper register, a repeated stepped pattern marches in rhythmic procession, a common Andean design associated with mountains, sacred architecture, and perhaps the tiers of the cosmos. Below, large cruciform rosettes extend across the mid-body, each arm articulated with rectilinear detailing, while the lower section bears vertical linear elements resembling stylized feathers or vegetal forms. The interior is coated in a glossy red slip, enhancing the vessel's ceremonial presence. Size: 6.1" Diameter x 7" H (15.5 cm x 17.8 cm)
Keros were deeply tied to ritual consumption and community feasting in ancient Andean societies, serving as essential instruments in libation and social ceremony. While more often associated with the later Inca, the tradition has deeper roots, and Nazca keros like this one illustrate the cultural continuity of drinking vessels as both practical and symbolic objects. The bold interplay of color and geometry here speaks to the Nazca's fascination with abstraction and their mastery of surface design, echoing the same aesthetic seen in their famed textiles and geoglyphs.
This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full printed and bound report will accompany the item upon purchase.
Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection; ex-Minerva Gallery, Sebring, Florida, USA; ex-private Florida, USA collection, acquired via descent, collected prior to 1970
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
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#197627
- Condition: Professionally repaired and restored with repainting over break lines; all done very well and difficult to detect in most areas. Some nicks and abrasions to surface, commensurate with age, but, otherwise, excellent presentation with good remaining pigments and detail. Two TL holes to rim have been filled in.
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| From: | To: | Increments: |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $299 | $25 |
| $300 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $19,999 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $49,999 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $99,999 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $199,999 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 + | $20,000 |