Catalogue Description:
Effigy vessel in the form of a human figure playing an ornate panpipe or antara, standing adjacent to a llama. The mouth of the vessel is located on the llama's back. Cream, white, red, orange and black slips embellish the surface. Condition: good; a top element of the headdress is missing.
Label text:
The importance of llamas is evident in this vessel, which may represent a shaman, or ritual specialist, taking a llama or alpaca to be sacrificed to Pachamama ("Mother Earth") or to the mountain spirits. Such ceremonies occur today during the planting and harvesting of crops in order to encourage a fertile season. The shaman, shown in an elaborate headdress and finely woven tunic, holds an ornate panpipe, or antara, whose sound imitates the animal's cries.
