Cleveland Museum of Art

Double-chambered Vessel with Figures and Camelid

Date

1470–1532 (Thermoluminescence date, 1310–1610)

Medium

ceramic

Culture

Andes, Chimú-Inka, late 15th - mid 16th century

Department

Art of the Americas

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Under the Chimú, ceramic seems to have been a less important artistic medium than for earlier north coast cultures. Accordingly, ceramics were mass-produced with molds and, rather than bearing painted scenes, often have an overall dark surface achieved by firing in a smoky atmosphere. The double-chambered vessel was made after the Inka conquered the Chimú in the 1460s. When this vessel is filled with liquid and tilted back and forth, the camelid emits a whistling sound.

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