Cleveland Museum of Art

Bowl with Trophy Heads

Date

c. 100–650 CE

Medium

ceramic, slip

Culture

Peru, Nasca, Early Intermediate Period

Department

Art of the Americas

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Nasca is one of the two major cultures and ceramic styles of its periods, and one of the finest ceramic styles ever produced in the South American Andes. Vessel walls are thin, firing temperatures higher than in earlier times, and a variety of warm, earthen-toned slips come into use. This small bowl features repetitions of human trophy heads—a major Nasca motif that refers both to war and fertility. Two important themes in Nasca art are war and fertility.

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