Chavin Pottery Stirrup Vessel Depicting Duality

Pre-Columbian, northern Peru, Chavin culture, Casa Grande type, ca. 1200 to 800 BCE. One of the more striking examples of ancient pottery I have seen from this region! A blackware stirrup vessel - a type of canteen that could be tied to the waist for travel over distances or into the fields - divided in half iconographically. One side features three large chili peppers that project in high relief from the sides; the other side has rows of bumps that resemble the surface of a cactus. The spout, in a very rare touch for this culture, is also decorated with the same motifs. This iconography represents the hallucinogenic drugs made from the San Pedro cactus, a major part of Chavin ritual. Size: 5.2" W x 8.5" H (13.2 cm x 21.6 cm)

Provenance: ex-private Hans Juergen Westermann collection, Germany, collected from 1950-1960s

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#152599
Condition Report: Expertly repaired and restored from multiple pieces. This is so well done as to be almost indiscernible. Excellent preservation of form and details, with light deposits in the lower profile areas.