Chancay Polychrome Effigy Vessel

Pre-Columbian, Central Coast of Peru, Chancay culture, ca. 1000–1450 CE
Painted terracotta, height 13 ½ in (34.3 cm)
Provenance: Purchased at Sotheby’s, New York, 1985; Ex Roland Auctions, NY; from the Estate of Ronald Blatt (owner of Blatt Billiards, New York City)

Striking and expressive effigy vessel depicting a standing male figure with hands clasped at the chest, painted in cream, red, and black pigments. The cylindrical head is adorned with bold geometric facial markings and a high, flat headdress, while the rounded body is decorated with linear and curvilinear motifs suggestive of garments or ritual body paint.

Vessels of this type embody the Chancay aesthetic of stylized abstraction, balancing solemnity and humanity. They likely served funerary or ceremonial functions, placed as guardians within elite tombs or used to contain offerings. The painted motifs and facial patterning are characteristic of the Late Intermediate Period on the Peruvian coast, when Chancay workshops produced some of the most distinctive anthropomorphic ceramics in ancient Peru.

Condition: Minor surface wear and pigment loss consistent with age; otherwise well preserved and retaining fine painted detail.