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HOME :
Pre-Columbian Art :
Chimu Art : Chimu Blackware Stirrup Vessel in the Form of a Llama's Head
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Chimu Blackware Stirrup Vessel in the Form of a Llama's Head - PF.1120
Origin: Northern Coast of Peru
Circa: 900
AD
to 1200
AD
Dimensions:
6.625" (16.8cm) high
Collection: Pre-Columbian
Medium: Terracotta
£6,900.00
Location: UAE
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| Description |
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The Chimu culture arose around 800 A.D. and
flourished until the Incan conquest about six
hundred years later. Their civilization was
centered at their capital Chan Chan, about 300
miles north of Lima, literally meaning “Sun Sun,”
the largest Pre-Columbian city in Peru estimated
to contain almost one hundred thousand citizens.
The Chimu believed the sea, which they called
“Ni,” was the origin of life, a theory also
proposed by modern science and evolution.
Thanks to their sea-faring skills, the Chimu were
able to survive, nestled in between the desert
and the sea. The sea was everything to them: an
endless supply of food and the source of
inspiration for their most imaginative myths,
legends, and artwork. Agriculture was also vital,
and the Chimu drew up a vast number of
irrigation works demonstrating immense
engineering skill, some of which are still in use
today. Today, aside from the astounding mud
ruins of Chan Chan remarkably well preserved in
the heat of the desert, the Chimú are perhaps
best known for their distinctive black glazed
pottery influenced by their predecessors: the
Moche.
For centuries, the Ilama has been the favored
beast of burden in the Andes region of Peru.
This beautiful vessel pays tribute to the
important place of the Ilama in ancient society.
Though the Ilama is rumored to be rather a
haughty and aloof animal because of his slight
sneer, this particular beast has a delightful and
charming smile that invites us to know him
better.
- (PF.1120)
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