Pre-Columbian, Ecuador, late Valdivia to Chorrera culture, Late Formative Period, ca. 1500 to 300 BCE. A beautiful mortar fragment featuring the head of a highly stylized jaguar. Hand-carved from mottled light brown stone with light gray, green, citrine, and brown inclusions, the forward-facing jaguar head exhibits a pair of almond-shaped eyes beneath crescent brows, broad jowls with the incised nasal bridge visible on top, a pair of spiraling ears, and an openwork mouth lined with incised teeth on both sides. The feline head tapers gradually from the jawline backwards until beginning to expand back out where the mortar body was at one time. Size: 3.9" L x 2.625" W x 2.7" H (9.9 cm x 6.7 cm x 6.9 cm); 5.2" H (13.2 cm) on included custom stand.Although the Chorrera culture is not well known, researchers believe that mortars - like one this head would have come from - served as grinding vessels when preparing the ingredients of hallucinogenic drugs that would be used by shamans to enter a religious trance. The form of the jaguar was revered throughout the pre-Columbian New World for as the mightiest wild feline, its image incorporated into regal vestments. It also speaks to the transformation of the shaman into a half-human, half-animal spiritual creature. Provenance: Whisnant Gallery, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA acquired prior to 2000 All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping. #169805