Bowl Depicting a Costumed Ritual Performer with Abstract Plants, Holding a Captive
180 BCE–500 CE
Medium
Ceramic and pigment
Dimensions
10.2 × 17.2 cm (4 × 6 3/4 in.)
Classification
bowl
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
91097
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The imagery of this lively ceramic bowl directly associates agriculture with warfare. At the upper left, plants sprout and grow from the mouths of decapitated heads, signaling the bounty that results from sacrifice. In the center, a costumed figure wearing a whiskered mask and holding a captive channels the power of a wild cat to keep eager mice away from the agricultural abundance.
About the Artist
Nasca
Nasca artists, active from approximately 100 BCE to 800 CE along the arid southern coast of Peru in the Rio Grande de Nazca and Ica Valleys, produced some of the most vibrant and technically innovative art of the ancient Americas. Their work emerged from the Paracas tradition, expanding on earlier resin-painted ceramics and complex textiles while introducing pre-fire slip painting in up to twelve ...