Capulí Terracotta Vase with Figurative Animal Handles

Culture: Capulí culture/Nariño or Carchi, southern Colombia to northern Ecuador

Period: 850-1500 A.D.

Material: Terracotta

Dimensions: 7.9 cm high

Price: 1 400 Euro

Ref: 11035

Provenance: Austrian private collection Prof. Josef Mairitsch (1938-1994) with the inventory number M 68. Acquired between 19960 and the 1980s. Thence in the family estate. With a collection note (there titled as "Quiasinga") and a copy of the inventory list.

Condition: Intact

Description: Biconical, red-polished terracotta vessel of the Capulí culture with two sculptural handles in form of seated monkeys holding their cubs. The vase stands on a rounded base, the lower part of the body is not decorated. A grid pattern is deeply engraved on the shoulder. The neck is short and separated with a groove on the thickened rim. The handles in animal form depict monkeys seated with legs wide open, leaning with their back on the neck. They hold their cubs in their oversized hands. For a similar vessel, possibly from the same workshop see: Armand J. Labbé “Colombia Antes De Colón”, Bogota 1988, p. 174, no. 128.