Chancay Pottery Whistling Vessel - Standing Hunchback

Pre-Columbian, Peru, Chancay culture, ca. 900 to 1450 CE. A wonderfully functional whistling vessel, made of a white-ground clay, with a standing lord figure functioning as part of the strap handle. Fascinatingly, the lord has a hunchback, often seen as a symbol of shamanic power in the ancient Americas. The double bowls are spherical, with flared, concave feet. The lord wears a bowl upside down at the front of his headdress/crown. His body is painted black, suggesting clothing, and he holds something cylindrical - perhaps a staff - in one hand. Chancay ceramics have been found mainly in the cemeteries of the Ancon and Chancay valleys; a vessel like this one may have served as a holder for libations or offerings in the grave. Size: 8.05" W x 9.75" H (20.4 cm x 24.8 cm)

Provenance: ex-Leonard Lyle Dees collection, Topeka, Kansas, USA, acquired between 1950 and 1970

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#148532
Condition Report: The spout has been expertly repaired and restored. This is well done and almost impossible to discern. Otherwise in excellent condition with great remaining detail.