167 - A PRE-COLUMBIAN BLACKWARE ANTHROPOMORPHIC-SPOUTED BOTTLE, CHIMU CULTURE

A PRE-COLUMBIAN BLACKWARE ANTHROPOMORPHIC-SPOUTED BOTTLE, CHIMU CULTURE Published & Exhibited: Josef Mairitsch, Columbus am Wörthersee: Amerika vor Columbus, Klagenfurt, 1 June-31 October 1992, p. 101. Peru, 1300-1450. Carefully molded, the flattened globular body supported on a short, splayed foot, with gently sloping shoulders rising to a conical neck modeled as an anthropomorphic face, marked by a pair of bulging eyes, a prominent nose, and large pointed ears. The rear of the vessel set with a large, curved handle. Provenance: Collection of Prof. Josef Mairitsch, Austria, acquired between 1960 and the early 1980s, thence by descent. With an old collector’s label affixed to the underside. Josef Mairitsch (1938-1994) was a Carinthian scholar whose private collection encompassed over 200 objects of Pre-Columbian, Iranian, Roman, Greek and other origins, significantly contributing to Austria’s holdings in ancient art. His collection was already widely published in catalogues and the press from the 1970s, especially its Pre-Columbian section. Condition: Very good condition with expected wear, firing irregularities, signs of prolonged burial, occasional minor chips, and light surface scratches. Weight: 389.4 g Dimensions: Height 16.2 cm In the centuries following the decline of the Moche civilization, the Chimú kingdom emerged as the dominant political power on the north coast of Peru, eventually extending its control from near the present-day border with Ecuador to north of Lima. Chimú potters drew extensively upon the forms, imagery, and techniques of earlier north-coast traditions, particularly those of the Lambayeque, or Sicán, culture, whose territory was incorporated into the Chimú realm around 1375. Centered farther north, near present-day Chiclayo, Lambayeque/Sicán developed before the rise of Chimú and, like the latter, built upon earlier Moche artistic traditions. Sicán ceramic production made extensive use of molds and encompassed a wide range of vessel forms, among the most characteristic being the spouted bottle with a strap handle and pedestal base (see Literature comparison, Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1970.245.37). Sicán potters also developed a distinctive blackware tradition, in which careful control of the firing process and the restriction of oxygen within the kiln produced the characteristic dark surface of the vessels, while burnishing imparted their distinctive lustrous appearance (see Literature comparison, Museum Rietberg, inventory number RPB 725). Both the extensive use of molds and these blackware techniques were subsequently adopted and further developed by Chimú potters. Literature comparison: Compare a related Lambayeque (Sicán) ceramic bottle, dated 900-1100, 17.8 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1970.245.37. Compare a closely related Sicán fired clay vessel, dated to the 8th-14th century, 17 cm high, in the Museum Rietberg, inventory number RPB 725. Compare a closely related Chimú ceramic spout bottle, dated to the 14th-mid-15th century, 22.7 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 65.266.5. Compare a closely related Sicán earthenware bottle, dated 900-1100, 17.3 cm high, in the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, accession number 833-D2.