Pre-Columbian Chancay Pottery Llama/Alpaca Vessel ca. 1000 to 1200 CE. Size: 9 inches Length x 7 inches Wide x 11 inches High. Pre-Columbian, Central Coast Peru. Provenance: private Hidden Valley Lake, CA collection. Lot # 3262 in Millea Bros. auction (based in Boonton, NJ, June 18-20, 2019- from the estate of Eugene Thaw?). Polychrome painted decoration on pale painted ground. A remarkable pottery effigy figure of a rotund llama or alpaca, standing on 4 nubbin legs. The hollow, egg-shaped body and head is slip-painted in beige hues with umber brown linear and stippled dots- the broad band with side circles may represent a pack or load slung over the animal's back. This is a male- low relief genitalia are present just below the upturned tail. The gaping mouth not only acts as a vent hole during firing, but also gives a startled expression to the llama. This excessively bulbous animal with prominent genitalia symbolizes abundance and fertility. This effigy would accompany the deceased into the afterlife, a practical stand in for a sacrificial animal, since llamas and alpacas were much more valuable alive as they provided wool for weaving and were dependable pack animals that could provide body heat to shepherds at high altitudes. Provenance: ex-Artemis Gallery auction, ex-private Hidden Valley Lake, CA collection.