Incised Painted Bowl
Unknown Artist
7th–5th century BCE
Medium
Ceramic, pigment
Dimensions
H. 2 × Diam. 5 3/4 in. (5.1 × 14.6 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Containers
Culture
Paracas
Department
Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Cummings, 1964
Accession Number
64.228.100
Art Historical Context
This delicate *Incised Painted Bowl* from the Paracas culture of ancient Peru dates to the 7th–5th century BCE, formative period in South American prehistory. Crafted from ceramic and adorned with pigment, it measures just 2 inches high and 5¾ inches in diameter—perfectly sized for handheld use, perhaps in daily rituals or communal feasting. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Department of Arts of Africa,, and the Americas, was generously gifted by Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Cummings in 1964. Paracas artisans excelled in ceramics, employing incising techniques to carve intricate patterns int...