Description:

Pre-Columbian, Central Coast Peru, Chancay Culture, ca. 1000 to 1470 CE. A charming ensemble of three hand-modeled pottery llamas, each formed with plump bodies, short legs, and raised heads, their surfaces decorated in black-on-cream slip. The animals display varied painted motifs: stripes, spotted patterns, and bold markings that emphasize their backs and necks. Each figure bears a vent hole at the top of the body, a feature typical of Chancay ceramic tradition. The llama, vital to Andean societies, symbolized wealth, status, and sustenance, providing transport, wool, and food. Within Chancay culture, ceramic effigies such as these were likely placed in burials or ritual contexts to invoke protection and abundance in the afterlife. Their simplified yet lively forms capture both the physical presence and cultural importance of the llama as a cornerstone of Andean life. Size of largest : 5.3" L x 2.5" W x 3" H (13.5 cm x 6.4 cm x 7.6 cm)

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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#197035

  • Condition: One is missing one eye and one ear; another has had head reattached with chipping along visible break line and shipping to tail. All have surface wear commensurate with age. Otherwise, most petite is intact and all have good remaining pigments.

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

Artemis Fine Arts

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