Published Tairona Ocarina with Jaguar Head

Culture: Tairona Culture/Northern Colombia

Period: 1000-1550 A.D.

Material: Terracotta

Dimensions: 8.5 cm in diameter

Price: 800 Euro

Ref: 11083

Provenance: Austrian private collection of Prof. Josef Mairitsch (1938-1994), with the inventory number M 160. Acquired between 1960 and the early 1980s. In the family collection ever since. Accompanied by a copy of the collection note and the catalogue page.

Condition: Jaguar head, left ear, and left rear predator head reattached without loss. Still playable today.

Description: Terracotta vessel flute of the Tairona culture from northern Colombia with a jaguar head. Due to their shape, these figurative ocarinas are associated with the male genitalia. The jaguar symbolises potency, masculinity, and sexuality. This very finely crafted flute depicts the jaguar with a wide, snarling mouth, eyes set deeply beneath thick brows, and upright rectangular ears. The arms are curved in a semicircle and turned backwards, and are connected to the short legs. The connecting sections are formed by two outward-facing predator heads with elaborate headdresses. The mouthpiece for producing the tones is located on the underside of the body. The four finger holes for varying the pitch are drilled into the upper shoulder area and framed by spiral eyes. Still playable today. Published in: Josef Mairitsch „Columbus am Wörthersee. Amerika vor Columbus.“ Katalog zur Sonderausstellung der Kulturabteilung der Landeshauptstadt Klagenfurt vom 1. Juni bis 31. Oktober 1992, p. 99.