Item: Shaman Medicine Cup

Material: Ceramic

Dimensions: 130mm x 160mm x 170mm  920g

Era: 200-800CE

Culture: Luna

Region: Ometepe

Condition: Excellent

Description: Bichrome Shaman medicine cup. Decorated with motif tattoos and holding a mortar and pestle. This was a vessel used by Shaman to serve herbal medicines.

Provenance: Acquired in Nicaragua by a private collector in 1976

To ensure authenticity the subject piece was examined with a Leica MZ 7.5 stereoscopic microscope.
All or some of the following elements were found and photographed.
One or more photos from the examination is included in the photo gallery
  • Alkaline mineral accretions
  • Fine root hairs in the minute crevasses
  • Obvious signs of antiquity in the glazed surfaces
  • Sharp edges polished by burial erosion caused by millennia of seismic activity
  • Oxidization consistent with the age of the item
  • Lifeless insect larvae in the minute crevasses  
  • Manganese dioxide accretions as illustrated in the video link below 
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFjc0r6v_Ok