Description
A conopa mortar representing an alpaca, used to prepare lime or ashes for coca chewing. Llamas and alpacas have long been domesticated in the high plateaus and valleys of the Andes (with the exception of vicuñas and guanacos, which remained wild), notably for their wool, which was essential to life in the high plateaus, but also fundamental to the economy of pre-Hispanic cultures in Peru. This type of stone mortar in the shape of a llama or alpaca is often described in literature as a conopa, but this term actually describes small stone sculptures illustrating the daily life of the Incas. This type of mortar was quite common at the time, and the one in the Jean Roudillon collection is one of the finest examples, and a classic of Inca art. Underneath the base, there are deep traces of ancient cut-outs, testifying to the practices of its owner during the Inca period, which in no way detract from the object's beauty. Culture, Inca, 1450 to 1533 A.D., Cuzco region, Peru Black stone, old nicks under the base, minor wear and minor old accidents, large ash or lime residues inside the mortar, very fine old patina from use H. 8.2 cm and L. 13.6 cm See for another comparable mortar p. 121 n° 352 in Ancien Pérou Vie Pouvoir et Mort, musée de L'Homme, Ed. Nathan 1987, or two other very fine examples, including a very close one n° 38 in: Peru Sun Gods and Saints, exhibition catalog, André Emmerich, New York 1969 Provenance : Jean Roudillon Collection
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A conopa mortar representing an alpaca, used to prepare lime or ashes for coca chewing. Llamas and alpacas have long been domesticated in the high plateaus and valleys of the Andes (with the exception of vicuñas and guanacos, which remained wild), notably for their wool, which was essential to life in the high plateaus, but also fundamental to the economy of pre-Hispanic cultures in Peru. This type of stone mortar in the shape of a llama or alpaca is often described in literature as a conopa, but this term actually describes small stone sculptures illustrating the daily life of the Incas. This type of mortar was quite common at the time, and the one in the Jean Roudillon collection is one of the finest examples, and a classic of Inca art. Underneath the base, there are deep traces of ancient cut-outs, testifying to the practices of its owner during the Inca period, which in no way detract from the object's beauty. Culture, Inca, 1450 to 1533 A.D., Cuzco region, Peru Black stone, old nicks under the base, minor wear and minor old accidents, large ash or lime residues inside the mortar, very fine old patina from use H. 8.2 cm and L. 13.6 cm See for another comparable mortar p. 121 n° 352 in Ancien Pérou Vie Pouvoir et Mort, musée de L'Homme, Ed. Nathan 1987, or two other very fine examples, including a very close one n° 38 in: Peru Sun Gods and Saints, exhibition catalog, André Emmerich, New York 1969 Provenance : Jean Roudillon Collection
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