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PROPERTY FROM THE G.A.H. BUISMAN JNZ. COLLECTION
CHAVIN BLACKWARE VESSEL
CA. 700 - 400 B.C.
Details
CHAVIN BLACKWARE VESSEL
ca. 700 - 400 B.C.
a pair of spiny spondylus shells forming the lower half of the stirrup spout.
Height 9 1/4 in. (23.5 cm.)
ca. 700 - 400 B.C.
a pair of spiny spondylus shells forming the lower half of the stirrup spout.
Height 9 1/4 in. (23.5 cm.)
Exhibited
Geneva, Sun Kingdoms of the Americas, Library of the Palais des Nations, March 12 - May 31, 2001.
Amsterdam, Sun Kingdoms of the Americas, Museum Geelvinck Hinlopen Huis, May - June, 2002.
Amsterdam, Sun Kingdoms of the Americas, Museum Geelvinck Hinlopen Huis, May - June, 2002.
Further details
Spondylus first appears in Peruvian archaeological sites during the Late Preceramic Period (ca. 5000-3800 B.C), but finds of this antiquity are few and small. By the Early Horizon (ca. 2500-2200 B.C.), it had supplanted the indigenous, cold-water mollusk Choromytilus chorus as the shell icon of the Peruvian elite, although Choromytilus continued to be offered by commoners throughout the prehistoric epochs. During the succeeding periods, the thorny oyster became increasingly common in burials and offerings, where its context indicates more and more clearly the importance of Spondylus in ancient Andean ritual life.