Chancay Terracotta Figurative Urn. 40 cm H. 1000 - 1400 AD. Spanish Export License.

Figurative vessel

- big -

Chancay, Peru, 1000 - 1400 AD.

Terracotta and pigments

DIMENSIONS: 40 cm heigth and 22 cm diameter

CONDITION: Good condition, original state, not restored, see photos.

Provenance:
- Private collection, J. R. (1928 - 2013) Barcelona, formed since 1950 until 1980. Thence by descendent.


Ceramics are also a very common feature of the Chancay culture. This pottery has been found mainly in the cemeteries of the Ancon and Chancay valleys, for example at Ancon (archaeological site). The Chancay civilization produced ceramics on a large scale using moulds. However, open vessels with more than 400 different types of drawings that have yet to be decrypted, uniquely created by artisans, have been found.

The technique used in creating ceramics was with a rough matt surface that was later painted with a dark colour, usually black or brown, on top of a lighter cream or white background. this dark on light characteristic is known as black on white.

Vessels are often large and quaintly shaped. Egg-shaped jars are some of the more common. Ceramic dolls or female figurines were also created. These were usually large, female-looking dolls made from clay. The faces and sometimes the upper sections of the body are covered with ornaments of different geometric shapes. Imprints of textiles on some ceramic human effigies demonstrate that human figures, often painted nude with body art, were dressed in real clothing, granting them reality and vital energy. The eyes were accentuated with a line on each side and the arms were usually short. These geometric ornamentations are very common on Chancay ceramics.

Other common ceramic vessels were oblong jars with narrow necks and wide mouths, with designs in the form of human faces and geometric shapes painted in the black on cream technique. Other common animal shapes are birds or llamas. Another common class of items were cuchimilcos, small standing human-shaped idols with prominent jaws, wide black painted eyes, and prominent modeled genitalia. These figures are particularly notable for their unusual bodily position, which is characterized by upwardly extended arms with palms that face the viewer. The palms are often blackened. These figures have been found in the tombs of Chancay nobility.


Notes:
- The piece includes authenticity certificate.
- The piece includes Spanish Export License (Passport for European Union). NOT TAXES.
- According to Spanish legislation, items sent outside the European Union are subject to export taxes and will be added to the invoice, at the buyer's expense. These export fees are fixed on the final auction price and the tax rate is not applied directly on the total value of the item to be exported, but rather the different percentages by sections are applied to it:
- Up to 6,000 euros: 5%.
- From 6,001 to 60,000 euros: 10%.
This export permit application process can take between 1-2 months maximum.
- The seller guarantees that he acquired this piece according to all national and international laws related to the ownership of cultural property. Provenance statement seen by Catawiki.