Anthropomorphic Jar100 BCE–600 CE

Not on view

Ceramic vessel with a rounded body and short cylindrical neck, painted with a stylized face and horizontal striped bands in black, brick red, and white slip

Ceramic vessel with a bulbous body and narrow neck, painted with a frontal face featuring outlined eyes, a modeled nose, and cheek panels with grid patterns in cream, dark brown, and red slip; horizontal red and black stripes encircle the neck.

Title: Anthropomorphic Jar
Culture: Nasca
Place Made: Peru, South Coast
Date Made: 100 BCE–600 CE
Medium: Ceramic, hand built, slip decorated, burnished, fired
Dimensions: 3 3/4 x 3 3/4 in. (9.52 x 9.53 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Nasli M. Heeramaneck
Accession Number: M.73.48.11
Classification: Ceramics
Collecting Area: Art of the Ancient Americas
Curatorial Notes: This Middle Nasca cup represents a severed head. Because Nasca often depicted heads being captured by mythological creatures, such vessels are traditionally called “trophy heads.” Actual severed heads have been archaeologically documented in Nasca temples, such as Cahuachi, Majoro Chico, and Chaviña. Archaeologists interpret these findings as an indication that heads were taken during warfare and displayed as evidence of the warriors’ prowess. Biological analysis indicates that the victims were mostly male (as is the one shown here) and that a complex process of preparation was followed once the head was captured. It involved breaking the base of the skull; extracting the muscles, soft tissues, and internal organs; and inserting a carrying rope in the middle, to convert the head into a portable object.

Although shocking to us, such practices were essential components of negotiating life in the inhospitable environments of the Peruvian desert coast. Sacrifice was the most powerful means of communicating with the deities, and blood offerings were the most important gifts to the natural and supernatural beings who allowed humans to survive in harsh, desert conditions. Death by sacrifice enabled life to regenerate.

Luis Muro

2024

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Anthropomorphic Jar100 BCE–600 CE

Not on view

Title: Anthropomorphic Jar
Culture: Nasca
Place Made: Peru, South Coast
Date Made: 100 BCE–600 CE
Medium: Ceramic, hand built, slip decorated, burnished, fired
Dimensions: 3 3/4 x 3 3/4 in. (9.52 x 9.53 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Nasli M. Heeramaneck
Accession Number: M.73.48.11
Classification: Ceramics
Collecting Area: Art of the Ancient Americas
Curatorial Notes: This Middle Nasca cup represents a severed head. Because Nasca often depicted heads being captured by mythological creatures, such vessels are traditionally called “trophy heads.” Actual severed heads have been archaeologically documented in Nasca temples, such as Cahuachi, Majoro Chico, and Chaviña. Archaeologists interpret these findings as an indication that heads were taken during warfare and displayed as evidence of the warriors’ prowess. Biological analysis indicates that the victims were mostly male (as is the one shown here) and that a complex process of preparation was followed once the head was captured. It involved breaking the base of the skull; extracting the muscles, soft tissues, and internal organs; and inserting a carrying rope in the middle, to convert the head into a portable object.

Although shocking to us, such practices were essential components of negotiating life in the inhospitable environments of the Peruvian desert coast. Sacrifice was the most powerful means of communicating with the deities, and blood offerings were the most important gifts to the natural and supernatural beings who allowed humans to survive in harsh, desert conditions. Death by sacrifice enabled life to regenerate.

Luis Muro

2024

Related Unframed

Creative Adaptation: K–12 Arts Learning During a Pandemic

January 29, 2021
Erin Branham