15th Century & Earlier Two Pre-Columbian Cupisnique Stirrup Ceramic Vessels Peru

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A collection of two small pre-Columbian ceramic stirrup vessels in Cupisnique style circa 700-500BCE. These ancient vessels from the formative … Read more A collection of two small pre-Columbian ceramic stirrup vessels in Cupisnique style circa 700-500BCE. These ancient vessels from the formative period are distinct in a robust form with a signature thick stirrup sprout. Always dark in natural colors that reflect the fired clay, they could be molded after animal figures, or decorated with incision, or sometimes, such as in this case, in a simpler abstract form. One vessel on offer here features a body that represents a fruit, likely guanabana (soursop). On one side of its stirrup sprout, there is a small loop, suggesting the use of string attachment for easy carry. The other vessel features bosses within concaved circles protruding throughout the body. Both were smoke fired and burnished and show visible deposits from earth elements in the ground. One pot is 7.25"h x 4.5 dia. The other is 7"h x 5.5"dia.

The Cupisinque culture flourished from circa 1500 to 500 BCE along what is now Peru's Northern Pacific Coast. It shares artistic style with Chavin culture, which rose from the same area in a slightly later period (900-200 BCE). As two distinct but related cultures, their relationship is not entirely understood. It also shares similar ceramic designs with much later Moche culture (100-700AD), suggesting a cultural lineage.
Provenance: From a private American collection acquired in Peru circa 1970s. Hence by descent.
Many similar abstract stirrup vessels are in the collection of Museo Larco in Lima, Peru such as ML015051.
Another similar piece is in the collection of Metropolitan Musuem of Art: Accession Number: 1978.412.205 See less