Simple yet elegant in form, this appealing vessel
is burnished with a rich red slip. The top of the
pot is adorned with abstract patterns in yellow
and black whose symbolism is obscure. A pair of
scorpions, considered in Peru and elsewhere to
be magical creatures, guards the spout
heraldically. Are they here to frighten evil spirits
away from the bottle's contents? Or do they act
as a kind of poison label, warning us to beware
before we drink? Time has caused the mysterious
contents to disappear, but the outside of the
bottle has grown ever lovelier with the centuries.
- (K.025)
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