Pre-Columbian, Northern Peru, Inca Empire, ca. 1200 to 1500 CE. A remarkable bi-chrome pottery vessel in the form of an alpaca or llama head with a long snout, a high nasal bridge, recessed nostrils, an incised mouth, round bulbous eyes, and petite pointed ears flanking a circular opening with a flared rim. Boasting a lustrous burnish, the adorable visage is beautifully coated in russet-hued glaze and embellished with burnt umber eyes and a triangular stripe on either side of its snout. As camelids were the only burden bearing animals in South America, aside from humans, this vessel was likely created to demonstrate the importance of these animals to the Inca. Size: 8.75″ L x 5.875″ W x 5.875″ H (22.2 cm x 14.9 cm x 14.9 cm)
