ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

Ancient Art, Antiques, & Fine Collectibles

 

Rare Pre-Columbian Chimú Culture Jaguar Vessel

Northern Coast of Peru

c. 900 AD—1470 AD

 

eBay Note:

This item is legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and is guaranteed to be as described or your money back.  This item will come with a Certificate of Authenticity (COA) from ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS. 



Summary

 

Item:  Pre-Columbian Chimú Culture Jaguar Vessel/Flask

Cultural group: Chimu, Inca

Country: Peru, North Coast

Find Location:  Near the ruins of Chan Chan, the capital of the Chimú Empire, that is located nearby the modern-day town of Huanchaco.

Date:  c. 900—1470 AD

Materials: Blackware, fired earthenware

Measurements:

Height: 4.84” (123 mm)

Width: 3.74” (95.12 mm)

Depth:  2.78” (71 mm)

Weight:  10.5 oz. (298 gr.)

Condition: Authentic mineralization and nicely encrusted with its once precious contents now dried and visible inside the spout. Black fire cloud on one side.

Fire cloud An irregular discoloration on the exterior of the pottery; usually resulting from burning fuel coming in direct contact with the vessel during firing.

Firing The process of baking and hardening pottery. Traditional Indian pottery is fired outdoors (rather than in a kiln) using various fuels including dried animal dung.

Incising In pottery, the cutting of closely-spaced lines and designs into the surface of the pot before it is fired.

Provenance:

  

Details

 

This small, blackware Shaman Flask is from the ancient Chimú Culture on the North coast of Peru.  The Chimú culture was centered on Chimor with the capital city of Chan Chan (literally meaning “Sun Sun”) a large adobe city in the Moche Valley of present-day Trujillo, Peru, about 300 miles north of Lima.  The culture arose about 900 AD, succeeding the Moche culture, and was later conquered by the Inca emperor Topa Inca Yupanqui around 1470, fifty years before the arrival of the Spanish in the region. 

This beautiful flask is a mold-made, earthenware vessel with nice crisp detailing of what appears to be a Jaguar figure on one side.  Authentic mineralization and nicely encrusted with its once precious contents now dried and visible inside the spout.

Today, aside from the astounding mud ruins of Chan Chan remarkably well preserved in the heat of the desert, the Chimú are perhaps best known for their distinctive black glazed pottery influenced by their predecessors: the Moche. The shiny brown/black finish of most Chimú pottery was achieved by firing the pottery at high temperatures in a closed kiln, which prevented oxygen from reacting with the clay.


Ceramics

 

The civilization is known for its exquisite and intricate metalworking, one of the most advanced of the pre-Columbian era. Chimú ceramics were crafted for two functions: containers for daily domestic use, and those made for ceremonial use for offerings at burials. Domestic pottery was developed without higher finishing, while funeral ceramics show more aesthetic refinement. This example was clearly made for ceremonial use or to present offerings at burials.

The main features of Chimú ceramics were small sculptures and vessels, and manufacturing molded and shaped pottery for ceremonial or daily use. Ceramics were usually stained black, although there are some variations. Lighter ceramics were also produced in smaller quantities. The characteristic brightness was obtained by rubbing with a rock that previously had been polished. Many animals, fruits, characters, and mystical entities have been represented pictorially on Chimú ceramics. Archaeological evidence suggest that Chimú grew out of the remnants of the Moche, as early Chimú pottery had some resemblance to that of the Moche. Their ceramics are all black, and their work in precious metals is very detailed and intricate.

References

 

Similar Flasks can be found in the:

·        Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland

·        Gardiner Museum, Toronto, Canada

·        Lombards Historical Society Museum

·        Fowler Museum at UCLA, California

·        British Museum, England

·        Cleveland Art Museum, Ohio


 

 Please examine the attached photos carefully as they are part of the description and bid accordingly.

Macro Photos taken indoors show detail of this pre-Columbian flask.


Note: 

Each object I sell is professionally researched and compared with similar objects in the collections of the finest museums in the world. I have been dealing in fine antiquities for almost 50 years and although certainly not an expert in every field, I have been honored to appraise, buy, collect, and enjoy and recently sell some of the finest ancient art in the world. When in doubt, I have worked with dozens of subject matter experts to determine the condition and authenticity of numerous antiquities and antiques. This documentation helps to insure you are buying quality items and helps to protect your investment. 

 

I offer a full Money-Back Guarantee if a recognized authority in antiquities disputes the authenticity of these fine artifacts. 


Please ask any questions you may have before you bid!

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Please look at the macro photos carefully, as they are part of the description.


Member of the Authentic Artifact Collectors Association (AACA) & the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA)

 

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