Double-Spout, Bridge-Handle Vessel
Nasca
1 of 6
Object Label
The central motif on this vessel’s four sides is the Horrible Bird, an anthropomorphic bird of prey that is part human and probably a combination of condor and falcon, the most powerful creatures of the sky. This mythical being has a profile bird head with a white eye and an open, white-tipped beak clutching a human head. Its wings are outstretched as if in flight, and it has a trophy head between its human legs. Additional decoration includes intertwined snakes, lizards, birds, and San Pedro cacti, plants known for their hallucinogenic properties.
Caption
Nasca. Double-Spout, Bridge-Handle Vessel, 325–440. Ceramic, pigments, 9 1/4 x 7 x 6 1/4 in. (23.5 x 17.8 x 15.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Henry L. Batterman Fund, 41.423. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Culture
Title
Double-Spout, Bridge-Handle Vessel
Date
325–440
Period
Early Intermediate Period
Geography
Place found: Palpa, Peru
Medium
Ceramic, pigments
Classification
Dimensions
9 1/4 x 7 x 6 1/4 in. (23.5 x 17.8 x 15.9 cm)
Credit Line
Henry L. Batterman Fund
Accession Number
41.423
Frequent Art Questions
What is the material process of making this? Was it hand built? Or done on a wheel?
This was used before wheels came into use. Designs were painted on vessels before firing. Pottery wheels were not used at this point, so most Nasca ceramic works were done by hand through building up coil walls, then smoothing, and sometimes applying a thin coat of soft clay slip to create a smooth surface for painting. Vessel surfaces were smooth and shiny as a result of the careful burnishing (a way of polishing by rubbing) in the late stages of drying.Designs were painted on vessels before firing. Most Nasca ceramic works were done by hand through building up coil walls, then smoothing, and sometimes applying a thin coat of soft clay slip to create a smooth surface for painting. Vessel surfaces were smooth and shiny as a result of the careful burnishing (a way of polishing by rubbing) in the late stages of drying.
A common motif in Nasca art is the Anthropomorphic Mythical Being, or “masked god”, interpreted by scholars as a symbolic representation of deities residing in nature, The multicolored peppers symbolize the importance of crops, abundance and fertility as shown on body of the vessels.
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