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HOME :
Pre-Columbian Art :
Incan Art : Incan Greenstone Llama Effigy Vessel
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Incan Greenstone Llama Effigy Vessel - PF.1424
Origin: Highlands of Peru
Circa: 1200
AD
to 1500
AD
Dimensions:
3.125" (7.9cm) high
Collection: Pre-Columbian
Medium: Greenstone
$6,500.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
For centuries the Llama has been the favored
beast of burden in the Andes. As sheep and
goats were the measure of wealth in Biblical
lands, the Llama was a symbol of worldly status
in ancient Peru. This graceful stone vessel,
carved with a sure hand, captures the abstract
essence of the beast. It was probably used by a
person of rank to hold lime powder, an essential
part of the Coca ritual. The stimulant Coca leaves
helped give strength in the thin mountain air;
lime facilitated chewing by preventing the mouth
from going dry. The use of the Llama motif here
may suggest that Coca will make men as strong
and surefooted as the Llama. Removed from its
cultural context, the abstract beauty of this piece
still draws the eye and invites the touch.
- (PF.1424)
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