47145

Chavín Stirrup-Spout Ceramic Vessel with Feline

Currency:USD Category:Art Start Price:1,250.00 USD Estimated At:5,000.00 - 7,000.00 USD
Chavín Stirrup-Spout Ceramic Vessel with Feline
<B>Stirrup-spout Vessel with Feline</B></I><BR>Chavín, Cupisnique<BR>1000 - 600 B.C.<BR>Burnished and slipped ceramic, red and white pigment<BR>Height 11 1/4 in. Width 7 1/2 in.<BR><BR>While felines on Cupisnique vessels are most commonly shown in conjunction with the San Pedro cactus, this representation places the cat in a cave-like area in the side of what is assumed to be a gourd grown in a net to give it the shape seen here (Junius Bird, personal communication). These Cupisnique felines are strongly conventionalized as in this example: three-clawed, a few large donut spots, fanged mouth with a peaked lift at center upper lip, and an eyebrow unit that extends in a strong line to the nostrils. Commonly they face directly outward or back toward the raised tail as here. Throughout much of South America, continuing into the present, the principal shamanic alter ego is the large feline. Other than some minor restored breaks, the condition is good.<BR><BR>Provenance<BR>David Bernstein, New York<BR><BR>