Lot 88

12th-14th C. Arica San Miguel Polychrome Jar with Zoomorphic Lugs

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Lot 88
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12th-14th C. Arica San Miguel Polychrome Jar with Zoomorphic Lugs
12th-14th C. Arica San Miguel Polychrome Jar with Zoomorphic Lugs
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12th-14th C. Arica San Miguel Polychrome Jar with Zoomorphic Lugs

Estimate: $400 - $600

Starting Bid: $200

(0 Bids)
by Artemis Fine Arts
June 25, 2026 9:00 AM MDT (In Progress)
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Pre-Columbian, Northern Chile, Arica, San Miguel, ca. 1100–1350 CE. A swelling ovoid jar of buff earthenware, its rounded body tapering to a short, slightly flaring neck flanked by a pair of small zoomorphic lug handles modeled in dark slip, their abbreviated animal forms perched at the shoulder like silent sentinels. Between them, set slightly lower on the neck, a third vertical loop handle painted in matching red bridges the space, an asymmetrical detail that lends the vessel a quiet liveliness. The exterior is divided into vertical panels by bold black bands, alternating cream-ground registers filled with stepped geometric motifs, hatched triangles, and rows of dotted ovals reading as descending strings of beads or seeds, all set against a warm terracotta slip. This painted vocabulary, crisp linear geometry rendered in black and white over red, is characteristic of the San Miguel phase of the Arica culture, which flourished in the coastal valleys and oases of the Atacama Desert in northernmost Chile during the late Intermediate period. San Miguel potters drew on a deeply rooted Andean vessel tradition while developing a distinctive regional grammar of stepped frets, ladder bands, and punctate fields, likely tied to textile design and cosmological ordering. The addition of modeled animal lugs, perhaps avian or camelid in reference, signals a vessel of more than utilitarian intent, very possibly destined for funerary accompaniment in the dry coastal cemeteries that have preserved Arica ceramics in such remarkable numbers. The matte, slightly powdery surface and softened painted edges speak to long burial in arid Atacama soils. Size: 5.6" D x 6.8" H (14.2 cm D x 17.3 cm H).

Provenance: private Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA collection; ex-private San Antonio, Texas, USA collection

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Item # 203138

  • Condition: Good. Professionally repaired from a few large pieces with restoration and repainting over break lines; all done very well and difficult to notice. Slight chipping to handles and light surface wear as shown with some nicks and abrasion sin areas. Good remaining decoration and detail.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000