PRECOLUMBIAN ART : INCLUDING A SELECTION OF ... - Lempertz

184
EARLY MOCHICA FROG VESSEL
Ca. 300-100 B.C.
Height 17,1 cm
The rotund seated amphibian, possibly a Bufo marinus,
with head jutting upward, side glands swelling
and lips tightly closed, supra orbital ridge highlighted
by scrolling brows, limbs held close to the sides, with
incised fi ngers painted in reddish brown and cream
and covered overall with a spotted pattern.
Provenance
German collection acquired in the late 1970s
Cf. Spirit of Ancient Peru, pl. 43
Frogs and toads are associated with water and vegetation
and along with this fertility. All anurans are at
least somewhat toxic. Some frogs-notably Dendobrates,
the poison dart frog produce a toxin used by
some peoples in hunting and fi shing. Some toads,
such as the Bufo marinus, emit a fairly powerful toxin
from glands at the side of the head; this toxin may
have been converted by certain pre-Hispanic groups
into a psychoactive drug for ritual use.
€ 3 000 – 5 000
184
183
107