168 - A PRE-COLUMBIAN ‘LLAMA GIVING BIRTH’ VESSEL, BLACKWARE, CHIMU CULTURE

A PRE-COLUMBIAN ‘LLAMA GIVING BIRTH’ VESSEL, BLACKWARE, CHIMU CULTURE Peru, c. 14th-15th century. Finely molded in the form of a recumbent llama, depicted captive with its four legs bound together beneath the body with a rope and turning its head attentively towards its hindquarters as it gives birth, with the newborn emerging between her hind legs. Provenance: A private collection in Northern Germany, acquired between the 1980s and 1990s, thence by descent. The base with an old collector’s label and an inscribed inventory number. Condition: Very good condition with expected wear, firing irregularities, signs of prolonged burial, possible old repairs around the ears, occasional minor chips, and light surface scratches. Weight: 493.7 g Dimensions: Length 19.2 cm Literature comparison: Compare a closely related Chimu blackware clay vessel depicting a llama giving birth, 19.7 cm long, in the Detroit Institute of Arts, accession number 73.190.