Rare Inca Chucu Terracotta Plaque - Person & Alpaca

Pre-Columbian, southern Peru, Inca hinterlands (Chucu), ca. 1000 to 1500 CE. A very rare, beautiful ceramic plaque, square in form, featuring two motifs: an alpaca (or some other quadruped) and a standing human wearing a headdress. Beautiful wine red and peach pigments color the buff surface of the plaque, creating the iconography. Dots of a silvery pigment flecked with sparkling mica give the surface an interesting sheen. The minimalist forms painted here resemble rock art. Researchers believe that plaques like this were placed as offerings to Pacha Mama and Pacha Papa (Mother and Father Earth) to insure health among the livestock and among human inhabitants of the clan. Size: 3.1" W x 3.45" H (7.9 cm x 8.8 cm)

These plaques were made by smashing large vessels and painting the fragments. They have been discovered in a number of different contexts: beneath wall foundations, in graves, with animal sacrifices, and cached in prominent places in the landscape, including springs, rock hollows, and atop hills.

Provenance: ex-Dr. Edgar Lehr collection, Bloomington, Illinois, USA, since 1970s

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#151981
Condition Report: This piece is a fragment from a larger piece of pottery that was intentionally broken in ancient times to be painted. Light fading to the pigment with wear commensurate with age on surface and edges. Overall in very nice condition, with well-preserved motifs.