Chimu Inca Pottery Seated Deer Effigy Vessel
Chimu Inca Pottery Seated Deer Effigy Vessel, view 2
Chimu Inca Pottery Seated Deer Effigy Vessel, view 3
Chimu Inca Pottery Seated Deer Effigy Vessel, view 4
Chimu Inca Pottery Seated Deer Effigy Vessel, view 5
Chimu Inca Pottery Seated Deer Effigy Vessel, view 6
Chimu Inca Pottery Seated Deer Effigy Vessel, view 7
Chimu Inca Pottery Seated Deer Effigy Vessel, view 8
Chimu Inca Pottery Seated Deer Effigy Vessel
Chimu Inca Pottery Seated Deer Effigy Vessel, view 2
Chimu Inca Pottery Seated Deer Effigy Vessel, view 3
Chimu Inca Pottery Seated Deer Effigy Vessel, view 4
Chimu Inca Pottery Seated Deer Effigy Vessel, view 5
Chimu Inca Pottery Seated Deer Effigy Vessel, view 6
Chimu Inca Pottery Seated Deer Effigy Vessel, view 7
Chimu Inca Pottery Seated Deer Effigy Vessel, view 8
Chimu Inca Pottery Seated Deer Effigy Vessel
Chimu Inca Pottery Seated Deer Effigy Vessel Chimu Inca Pottery Seated Deer Effigy Vessel, view 2 Chimu Inca Pottery Seated Deer Effigy Vessel, view 3 Chimu Inca Pottery Seated Deer Effigy Vessel, view 4 Chimu Inca Pottery Seated Deer Effigy Vessel, view 5 Chimu Inca Pottery Seated Deer Effigy Vessel, view 6 Chimu Inca Pottery Seated Deer Effigy Vessel, view 7 Chimu Inca Pottery Seated Deer Effigy Vessel, view 8

Chimu Inca Pottery Seated Deer Effigy Vessel

16589

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North Coast Peru, Late Intermediate Period, Ca. 800 to 1250 A.D.

A large and impressive salmon-colored pottery effigy vessel in the form of a reclining deer, naturalistically modeled with an alert, upturned head, large rounded perked ears, and a pair of early branching antlers crowning the skull. The animal's body is full and rounded, with folded legs rendered in low relief tucked beneath the plump torso, and a short tail at the rear. A round opening at the center of the back served as the vessel's opening. The warm salmon-toned burnished surface displays variegated areas of fire-clouding in dark gray and black, characteristic of the open-kiln firing technique, along with scattered light mineral deposits consistent with burial.

Deer were important animals in ancient Peruvian cosmology, associated with hunting, fertility, and the mountain spirits, and appear frequently in the ceramic art of the north coast from the Moche through the Chimú-Inca periods. The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds a comparable Chimú deer vessel in sheet silver, attesting to the enduring popularity of this subject across media. This is an unusually large and sculptural example, well above average size for the type.

 Size: 8-3/4 inches H. x 12 inches L. (22.2 x 30.5 cm)

Condition: Both antlers professionally reattached, otherwise intact. Scattered light mineral deposits on the surface. Burnished slip well preserved with attractive variegated fire-clouding.

Provenance: John A. Moir, Jr. Trust of 2013; ex. collection of John A. Moir, acquired 1960s–1980s.

Every object is guaranteed authentic and as described, and has been legally acquired and imported in accordance with U.S. and applicable foreign regulations on the movement and sale of antiquities. A signed certificate of authenticity with a description and photograph accompanies this object. Any restoration is described on the invoice.

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