CHAVIN CUPISNIQUE INCISED STONE VESSEL WITH MYTHICAL ANTHROPOMORPHIC FIGURES WITH CIRCURAL AND CHEOMATRIC MOTIFS Chavin Culture, Highlands of Norther-Peru. Circa 900 - 200 B.C. CULTURE Chavin Culture, Highlands of Norther-Peru. PERIOD Circa 900 - 200 B.C. MEASUREMENTS Circa 9,0 cm height. Circa 8,5 cm diameter.   WEIGHT Circa 822,0 Gram. MATERIAL Carved from a hard, red-brown stone, probably steatite. With brown red cinnabar pigment. CONDITION The state of preservation is in good condition with beautifully deep geometric carvings, ancient surface pitting into the stone. Surface presents a beautiful brown red cinnabar pigment. PROVENANCE Yanto Alexander Fine Art, acquired in 2016 to the present. Formerly in a European Collection, Circa 1970`s to 1980`s. Private Collection of R. Ferrero, Switzerland, acquired prior to 1965; and thence by descent. From a Private French Collection that was formed in the 1950's. DESCRIPTION Chavin Cupisnique Incised Stone Vessel, 900-200 B.C. Rare Pre-Columbian Chavin hard stone snuff container or vessel, dating back from circa 900 to 200 B.C. Northern Andean highlands of Peru. Chavin - Cupisnique Culture. This circular-shaped ceremonial vessel with is incised with mythical anthropomorphic figures, circular and geometric motifs, typical of the type Cupisnique style to Chavin. The deep interior is smooth, flat rim. Ceremonial cup, engraved on the outer walls of a magnificent characteristic decoration with zoomorphic and anthropomorphic forms interlocking into each other to evoke images with several senses of reading. These images are related to a particular glyphic iconography associated with magico-religious rites where the man, the shaman and the mythical animals are in symbiosis. Mysterious symbols composed of a glyphic writing whose meaning has been lost over time. Engraved, carved and polished stone with traces of cinnabar and localized white mineral dye. Lanzon, the chief deity of Chavin; Lanzon, the chief deity of Chavin, is carved on a towering stone stelae kept inside the labyrinthine Old Temple, one of the earliest built parts of the massive, flat-topped pyramid at the center of the Chavin capital, Chavin de Huantar. Lanzon is depicted with a jaguar head, a human body, and eyebrows and hair made of snakes. Modern viewers and archaeological accounts are rife with complaints that Lanzon in his current position in the temple is difficult to see, crammed into a space where one has to crane one's neck and push back against a wall to try to take in the full figure. It therefore seems likely that, as on this bowl, Chavin worshippers were drawn to contemplate and worship individual features of the god - the mouth, the hairline, the eye - rather than considering it as a whole. This incredible vessel invites you to do the same. IMPORTANT INFORMATION All Works of Art offered for sale are “Guaranteed to be Authentic as Described” correspond to the given; Title, Culture and Period. The given “Guarantee of Authenticity” is valid as long as you own the piece, up to the original purchaser only and will not be transferable to any third party. All sale transactions and online bids at our auctions are placed in person and are legally binding. All auction sales are final, no refund, no exchange, no cancellation possible. Every Work of Art has been approved by Catawiki Expert(s) after a thorough review on its authenticity and correct description, correspond to the given; Title, Culture and Period. For reasons of data protection, when the provenance of the pieces comes from private collections, only the initials of the particular collectors are shown, the complete information of these collections will be delivered to the buyer in the Certificate of Authenticity and the Documentation. The Seller will ship the item(s) within 3 days after receiving confirmation of payment. For transport within the European Union, no export license is required for this lot. Due to the importance of this piece, an export license must be requested once it has to be shipped outside the European Union. This goes through the heritage inspection of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. An export license will be arranged after the final sale and can take some time up to 3 to 4 weeks. The seller can prove that the lot was obtained legally. The seller guarantees that he acquired this object in a legal manner and is authorized to sell it. Documentation seen by Catawiki. If you have questions about a specific object, please send an email via the Catawiki mail system.