A Rare Inca Stone Canopa with Two Heads...

Description

A Rare Inca Stone Canopa with Two Heads
Peru, c. 1200-1520 AD

Alabaster or similar fine-grained white stone, finely carved and polished to depict a camelid with two heads or two nestled so close together that they appear to have one body. A drilled cavity on the back. In very good condition, minor abrasions to the high points.

Canopas are ritual vessels in the form of alpacas, llamas, or other camelids. The cavity on the back would have been filled with offerings like coca leaves, maize, or animal fat in order to appease the gods and promote virility and fertility. The Inca often buried them in the animals' corral.

Length: 4 ¾ inches

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