Published Anthropomorphic Vase in Form of a Coquero of the Capulí Culture

Culture: Capulí Culture/Southern Colombia

Period: 800-1000 A.D.

Material: Terracotta

Dimensions: 10.5 cm high

Price: Sold

Ref: 11031

Provenance: Austrian private collection Prof. Josef Mairitsch (1938-1994) with the inventory number M 60. Acquired between 1960 and the early 1980s. Thence in the family estate. With a copy of the catalogue page.

Condition: Minor chips on the rim due to usage, otherwise wonderfully preserved.

Description: Wonderfully preserved, figurative terracotta vessel in form of a coquero, who chews coca leaves. The seated man has his legs stretched out and his toes raised. He has a large, rectangular head with the round vase hole in the calotte. The face is long with a prominent pointy nose, deeply pierced eyes and a broad, wide-open mouth, chewing coca leaves in the right, bulging cheek. He seems to enjoy it because his arms comfortably rest on the big belly. Coquero statuettes are typical for the Capulí culture. They were used by shamans, who stored special ingredients there, and during burial rites. Most of the coqueros sit on stools or chairs, the present one, which probably can be dated very early, has a flattened base on which it directly sits. Published in: Josef Mairitsch “Columbus am Wörthersee. Amerika vor Columbus.” Catalogue for the special exhibition of the cultural department of the state capital Klagenfurt from 1 June to 31 October 1992, page 93, no. 15.01.