Page 598 - Art In The Age Of Exploration (Great Section on Chinese Art Ming Dynasty)
P. 598

456-462

                                                                                                   GROUP  OF  CARVED  LLAMAS
                                                                                                   AND  ALPACAS

                                                                                                   Inka
                                                                                                   456: black stone with  speckles
                                                                                                                 3
                                                                                                             3
                                                                                                                     3
                                                                                                   6  X  11  X 4.5  (2 /8  X 4 /8  X 1 /4J
                                                                                                   457: black stone
                                                                                                                    2
                                                                                                            3
                                                                                                                3
                                                                                                   6  X  11  X 4  (2 /8  X 4 /8 X 1 /2J
                                                                                                   458:  white alabaster
                                                                                                             2
                                                                                                                     3
                                                                                                                 7
                                                                                                   8 x  10 x 4.5  (3 /s x 3 /s x i /4J
                                                                                                   459 :
                                                                                                                   2
                                                                                                                       2
                                                                                                              3
                                                                                                   5-5 * 13 X 5.5  (3 /S * 5 /S X 2 /8J
                                                                                                   460:  wood
                                                                                                               3
                                                                                                                   3
                                                                                                   5  X  7  X 3.5  (2  X 2 /4  X  l /8)
                                                                                                   461:  beige stone with  black veining
                                                                                                   £.5 X  12  X 4.5  (3 /S X 4 /4 X 1 /4J
                                                                                                                       3
                                                                                                              3
                                                                                                                   3
                                                                                                   462: fr/ac/e stone
                                                                                                             3
                                                                                                                 7
                                                                                                                      3
                                                                                                   7  X  10  X 3.5  (2 /4  X 3 /8 X  ! /s)
                                                                                                   The  Detroit Institute  of Arts, Founders  Society
                                                                                                   Purchase with funds  from  June  and  William  Poplack
                                                                                                   Stone vessels in the  shape of camelids served as
                                                                                                   offering  vessels to contain llama fat and blood to
                                                                                                   be presented  to the  gods.  Placed in pastures,  these
                                                                                                   vessels ensured the  fertility  of a herd.
                                                                                                    Llamas, probably originally domesticated  some
                                                                                                   6,000 years ago in southern  Peru,  are  essentially
                                                                                                   highland animals, associated with  the sacred
                                                                                                   mountains.  The llama  also adapts well to  differing
                                                                                                   altitudes  and was used in interaltitude  trade.
                                                                                                   There  is a long history of llamas on the  coast of
                                                                                                   Peru  (Rostworowski  1981,  50-53;  Shimada and
                                                                                                   Shimada  1985). During  the Inka era the  range of
                                                                                                  llama herding was widely and deliberately
                                                                                                  expanded, from  Ecuador to Chile (Murra  1962,
                                                                                                  711).  Today llamas are relatively  rare in  the
                                                                                                  Andes, although  they  are becoming popular as



            corn beer  and coca leaves with which it was fed).
              This  silver  llama may have represented  the
            royal llama;  it was found near a temple  of the  sun
            on the  island of Titicaca, Bolivia, and wears  the
            garments  described by the  Spanish chroniclers.
            Made by lost-wax  casting, it has red color added
            to form the blanket;  there were once inlays of
            chrysacola.  The narrow zigzag line on the  blanket
            is made of gold, as are the  toenails.  A similar
            zigzag motif  appears on some tunics  (see cat.  449).
              A gold llama and one of spondylus  (spiny
            oyster  shell) were found in the burial with  which
            cat.  442 was associated (Mostny  1957).  Llamas of
            metal  and spondylus  also have been found  with
            other  sacrificial burials (Schobinger  1991).
              Llama sacrifices  are still performed in  the
            Andes on certain  occasions, and llama  fertility
            rites are important  festivals in many  places in
            the  highlands.                    E.P.B.

                                                                                                                       THE  AMERICAS  597
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