Near-Miniature Inca Polychrome Pottery Urpu
Pre-Columbian, Northern Peru, Inca, ca. 1400 to 1532 CE. A wonderful terracotta aryballos-shaped vessel known as an urpu, a classic form that was developed and used only by the Inca in the Americas. The highly burnished vessel has a wide and conical base, a piriform body, with two applied strap handles and a nubbin-shaped lug, a tubular neck with a pinched base, and a flared rim with twin perforated loops. One side of the body displays a section of abstract linear motifs, sectioned off by two vertical lines and one horizontal line comprised of a beige band with black borders; the opposite side of the body is unadorned. An alluring vessel from the Inca peoples that may have once stored chicha, the popular fermented corn beer! Size: 4.5" W x 6" H (11.4 cm x 15.2 cm)
Urpus were used for transporting and storing liquids such as chicha, fermented corn beer, and the conical base enabled the vessel to be pushed into sand or soft earth to stand upright. When alpacas were overburdened, human porters carried the urpu vessels on their backs. The lugs below the rim secured a cloth or skin cover over the mouth to prevent spillage. The small lug on below the neck would also secure a strap that ran through the handles and tied the vessel to the porter’s back
Provenance: ex-private Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA collection, acquired December 18, 2017, ex-Artemis Gallery; ex-private Boulder, Colorado, USA, ex H. Turner collection around 2000
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.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
#161187
Condition Report: Near choice with expected surface wear commensurate with age and small chips to rim, neck, body, and base. Light fading to surface coloration. Nice burnishing marks, earthen deposits, and mineral deposits.
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Pre-Columbian, Northern Peru, Inca, ca. 1400 to 1532 CE. A wonderful terracotta aryballos-shaped vessel known as an urpu, a classic form that was developed and used only by the Inca in the Americas. The highly burnished vessel has a wide and conical base, a piriform body, with two applied strap handles and a nubbin-shaped lug, a tubular neck with a pinched base, and a flared rim with twin perforated loops. One side of the body displays a section of abstract linear motifs, sectioned off by two vertical lines and one horizontal line comprised of a beige band with black borders; the opposite side of the body is unadorned. An alluring vessel from the Inca peoples that may have once stored chicha, the popular fermented corn beer! Size: 4.5" W x 6" H (11.4 cm x 15.2 cm)
Urpus were used for transporting and storing liquids such as chicha, fermented corn beer, and the conical base enabled the vessel to be pushed into sand or soft earth to stand upright. When alpacas were overburdened, human porters carried the urpu vessels on their backs. The lugs below the rim secured a cloth or skin cover over the mouth to prevent spillage. The small lug on below the neck would also secure a strap that ran through the handles and tied the vessel to the porter’s back
Provenance: ex-private Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA collection, acquired December 18, 2017, ex-Artemis Gallery; ex-private Boulder, Colorado, USA, ex H. Turner collection around 2000
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.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
#161187
Condition Report: Near choice with expected surface wear commensurate with age and small chips to rim, neck, body, and base. Light fading to surface coloration. Nice burnishing marks, earthen deposits, and mineral deposits.
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