ANIMAL-SHAPED VESSEL
ANIMAL-SHAPED VESSEL
Terracotta
Peru, Chimú culture, ca. 1000 -1200
Unusual design, the animal’s recumbent body curved and featuring pronounced ribbing on its top and its bottom. Two hind limbs are suggested. The head is stretched forward, the eyes expressive, the bridge of the nose continuous, the teeth visible on both sides. The vessel’s opening located on the back with one small handle attached and remains of the other one.
The Chimú culture was located in northern Peru and existed into the late 15th century when was conquered by the Incan Empire. The capital city Chanchan was the largest in South America at this time.
Dimensions: HEIGHT 12.2 CM, LENGTH 24.7 CM
Condition: Chips or weathering around the mouth, the ears and snout. The vessel lip partially broken, only one of the small handles preserved
Provenance: Once part of the Dr. Gottfried Eysank von Marienfells’ collection, Bad Sch?nau, Austria, acquired around 1970