Fine Tiahuanaco Polychrome Portrait Vessel

Pre-Columbian, Bolivia and Chile, Tiahuanaco (Tiwanaku), ca. 400 to 700 CE. An intriguing example of a hand-built pottery vessel depicting a human head, perhaps a warrior or shaman based on the broad, red-hued facial tattooing. The vessel is defined by a flat base, a spherical body with a protruding frontal section, a sloped shoulder that tapers up to a cylindrical spout, and a flared rim surrounding the mouth. Bulging from the front of the body is a highly stylized human face with coffee-bean-shaped eyes, a narrow nose above a slit-form mouth, a pointed chin, cupped ears, and a brown-painted coiffure. The colorful detailing is presented atop a pale orange ground, and the spout rim is decorated with black and red rings. Size: 5.25" W x 5.6" H (13.3 cm x 14.2 cm)

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-Arte Primitivo Gallery, New York, New York, USA; ex-Chiasso collection, Switzerland, 1950-1980

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#152603
Condition Report: Professional restoration to right ear and areas of spout and rim, with resurfacing and overpainting along new material and break lines. Minor abrasions and pitting to base, body, face, and spout, with fading and areas of touch-up painting to original pigment, and light encrustations. Nice traces of original pigment throughout.