Pre-Columbian Art - South America

South America

Inca, Gran Cocle

Aryballos from the Inca Empire, Peru. ca. 1400 CE 1533 CE

Description:Nine smiling faces painted on one side, setting it apart from the typical geometric designs seen on most aryballos. It has cream colored bands painted around the long neck, a flared rim, and a lug in the form of an animal head above the painted faces.These were used for the production, storage, and transportation of chicha, a fermented corn beer. The pointed base allowed them to be set into the earth for stability. On the shoulder of the chamber is usually a central lug, often in the shape of a stylized animal head, as seen here. Ropes were pulled through the handles and secured around the lug for carrying.
Height7 7/8 inches
Provenance:
•Ex Collection of Leroy Irons, Tennessee, acquired from Peru in the 1960s-1970s• Ex. Ex Collection of Brad Cowan,Ontario Canada. • Current Private Collection, Texas

Exhibited: Museum of the Southwest, Midland Texas, Exhibit: "Aliento a Tequila"

December 2021 - February 2022

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