Art Institute of Chicago
Penguin Vessel
Ceramist unknown (Nazca)
- Date
- 350–500 CE
- Medium
- Ceramic and pigment
- Culture
- Peruvian South Coast
- Department
- Arts of the Americas
- Institution
- Art Institute of Chicago
This vessel, with its tiny, sculpted wings, is a rare depiction of a Humboldt penguin ( Spheniscus humboldti ) in Nasca art. Although Nasca peoples lived in a tropical desert, the adjacent waters of the Pacific Ocean are extremely cold due to the Humboldt Current, which flows northward from Antarctica. Since ancient times, the frigid sea has allowed colonies of penguins to thrive at the equator; but their numbers are now dwindling, and the species is considered vulnerable to extinction.
The authoritative record is held by Art Institute of Chicago. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.
Linked open data
Authority identifiers that link this record into the wider web of cultural data — stable references you can follow to the source.
- Object type
- AAT300386308
Related across collections
Semantically similar works from Art Institute of Chicago and other institutions.
Vessel
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Double Spout Vessel Depicting Hummingbirds
Art Institute of Chicago
Double Spout Vessel Depicting Hummingbirds
Art Institute of Chicago
Double Spout Vessel Depicting Hummingbirds of Different Colors
Art Institute of Chicago
Vessel in the Form of a Bird
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Bridge Vessel Depicting Birds, Possibly Hummingbirds
Art Institute of Chicago
Vessel in the Form of a Fish
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Vessel with Killer Whales
Art Institute of Chicago
Male Effigy Vessel
Cleveland Museum of Art
Vessel with Bird Beings
Art Institute of Chicago
Double spout jar
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Vessel with Marine Beings
Art Institute of Chicago