Pre-Columbian, Peru, Nazca culture, ca. 100 BCE to 800 CE. This is a deep, flared beaker known as a kero (or quero), which would have been used to hold the fermented maize drink chicha. The exterior is painted in the classic Nazca style, with heavy black outlines of severed heads around the rim and a serpent design in red and cream on the dark brown lower body. This kero shows the unassociated trophy heads, with no one holding them, which is a style of depiction common only to Nazca art. Archaeological evidence from the 20th century shows that these stylized paintings are based on real rituals - over one hundred mummified trophy heads have been found from Nazca excavations, almost all with a puncture to the front of the skull for suspension. Archaeologists specializing this culture continue to argue over the significance of these heads in Nazca culture - warriors fallen in battle? Taking the power of enemies by assuming ownership of a crucial part of their bodies? Remembrance of deceased relatives? The artwork here is an intriguing reminder of this lost culture. Size: 3.4" W x 6.1" H (8.6 cm x 15.5 cm)

Provenance: Ex-Private Joan Hersey Pavao Collection, acquired in the 1970's

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#118203

One small surface crack on lower body (unrepaired), with wear to paint.