CHANCAY, Peru, AD 1100 to 1400 - Lot 6

CHANCAY, Peru, AD 1100 to 1400 Large votive figure featuring a divinity of powerful proportions, hands clasped to the torso in a frontal posture. The protective face is sculpted with stylized forms: nose in relief, arches welded into a rectangular visor, almond-shaped eyes barely incised. The rectangular headdress, pointing skyward, extends the vertical momentum. The head, disproportionate and set into the shoulders, reinforces the idea of concentrated inner power characteristic of Andean divine representations. Wood, very old mark of time, erosion on the lower part. Dimensions: 60.5 × 12.5 cm Provenance: Former Ralph Kotala collection, Stuttgart, built up 1970-1980 Origine Auction, Paris, Saturday October 29, 2016, catalog no. 81 Historical or cultural context: The Chancay developed a cosmovision based on the permanent presence of deities in the natural world. These votive figures embodied protective entities, associated with the elements - sun, wind, earth or rain - that gave rhythm to daily life. With their hieratic posture and interiorized expression, they materialized the invisible power of divine forces, investing human space with their active benevolence.