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Chavín Ceramic Stirrup-spout Vessel

Currency:USD Category:Art Start Price:3,250.00 USD Estimated At:13,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD
Chavín Ceramic Stirrup-spout Vessel
<B>Stirrup-spout Vessel</B></I><BR>Chavín, Tembladera<BR>1000 - 600 B.C.<BR>Carved and burnished brownware<BR>Height 9 3/4 in. Diameter 4 5/8 in.<BR><BR>The complex, densely-packed imagery of this exceptional vessel indicates that it was connected with the core of the Chavín belief system. Such vessels, along with equally portable painted textiles, were the primary means through which the Chavín cult was propagated across extensive geographic areas from the highland center of its development and elaboration, Chavín de Huántar. The dynamic carving of this vessel is integrally employed to signal the principal motif, a fanged avian raptor. Six pairs of fangs project sharply outward from the six appearances of this creature's head, two on the upper main vessel body, one on either side of the stirrup, and two on the short vertical spout. These fangs spatially differentiate the primary heads from two more large, differently-configured heads on the lower vessel body. Two carved wings are so situated that they are shared by all four large heads on the main vessel body. Such multiple interactions provide visual equivalents for the reiterative structure of most ritual texts. The overall condition is very good, with parts of three projecting fangs missing and minor chipping at the spout lip.<BR><BR>Provenance<BR>David Bernstein, New York<BR><BR>