165 - A PRE-COLUMBIAN WOOD KERO (CEREMONIAL DRINKING CUP), CHIMU-LAMBAYEQUE CULTURE

A PRE-COLUMBIAN WOOD KERO (CEREMONIAL DRINKING CUP), CHIMU-LAMBAYEQUE CULTURE Northern Peru, Chancay-Lambayeque Valley, 1100-1470 AD. Skillfully carved, of truncated conical form, the exterior decorated in high relief with a crouching anthropomorphic figure dominated by a large head, with almond-shaped eyes beneath sharply arched brows extending into a slender nose, and an elongated mouth revealing the teeth. The face is flanked by large ears adorned with prominent circular earrings and surmounted by a rectangular crown decorated with a lozenge pattern. The figure is framed by two horizontal registers encircling the vessel, each containing further anthropomorphic and animal figures interspersed with geometric motifs. The wood exhibiting an attractive grain and a fine, naturally grown patina. Provenance: Collection of Guy and Régine Dulon, Paris, France, thence by descent. Binoche et Giquello, Paris, France, 2015. Martin Doustar, Brussels, Belgium, acquired from the above. Guy and Régine Dulon were distinguished French collectors who, over the course of five decades, assembled an eclectic yet discerning collection reflecting a sustained interest in the artistic traditions of distant and ancient civilizations, bringing together Pre-Columbian and Indonesian art with Post-Impressionist painting. Guy Dulon, a physician by profession, began collecting Pre-Columbian objects in the 1950s, at a time when the field attracted comparatively limited attention in France. Soon thereafter, he also developed a particular interest in Neo-Impressionism and played an important role in the reassessment of the work of Louis Hayet (1864–1940), a painter and theorist whose work occupied a distinctive place in the early development of the movement, co-authoring with Christophe Duvivier the 1991 monograph devoted to the artist and his work. The collection was subsequently dispersed through a series of sales at the Hôtel Drouot in Paris, beginning with a major auction conducted by Binoche et Giquello in June 2015. Martin Doustar is a Brussels-based art dealer and collector whose career spans more than two decades. He began his professional journey in the early 2000s with a focus on Modern Art, developing a keen interest in the ways early twentieth-century artists were influenced by ‘primitive’ art from Africa and Oceania. Over time, his connoisseurship expanded into archaeological and ethnographic fields, with particular expertise in the ancient arts of the Pacific, Africa, and pre-Columbian America, while also encompassing Asian material culture and modern masterpieces. He is the author of numerous scholarly catalogs and has organized thematic exhibitions on a wide range of subjects. Condition: Good condition overall with expected wear, visible splits and natural age cracks, traces of handling and use, signs of prolonged burial, obvious losses, and small chips. French Export License: Certificat d’exportation pour un bien culturel, nr. 172828, dated 9 February 2016, has been granted. A copy of this document accompanies this lot. Weight: 131.7 g Dimensions: Height 12 cm, Diameter 7.5 cm Kero is the Quechua term for a beaker-shaped vessel or tall cup. Keros have been made since the earliest times of Peruvian culture and were most frequently made in pairs. They were used to solidify social relationships between two high-ranking individuals who would fill their keros with chicha, a fermented maize beverage, and drink together; an act and symbol of balanced and mutual reciprocity. Often given as gifts at significant events, keros were personal items that would be used at ceremonies during a person's lifetime and then buried with the individual at their death. Keros were made from metal, ceramic, and wood, but examples of the latter are rare because the material is more vulnerable to decomposition. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related Tiwanaku wood kero, dated 500-1000 AD, 11.1 cm high, in the Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth, object number 2008.4.17. Compare a closely related Tiwanaku or Wari wood kero (ceremonial drinking cup), dated 600-1000 AD, 12.1 cm high, in the Princeton University Art Museum, object number 2008-156. Compare a closely related wood kero, excavated at Huaca Bandera, Valle de la Leche, Lambayeque, Northern Peru, in the Museo Contisuyo, Moquegua. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s Paris, 10 December 2003, lot 426 Price: EUR 32,900 or approx. EUR 53,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A colonial wood ceremonial kero, Highlands, 16th century AD Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, decorative style, and manner of carving. Note the larger size (21.5 cm).