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Collections

Beaker with Rodents100 B.C.–600 A.D.

On view:
Geffen Galleries, South American Symbolic Universes
Ceramic double-bulge vessel with cream slip ground, painted with repeating dark brown bird-like motifs and red dots arranged in rectangular panels, separated by burgundy and coral-orange bands

Unknown, Beaker with Rodents, 100 B.C.–600 A.D., Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Gift of Nasli M. Heeramaneck, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Title
Beaker with Rodents
Culture
Nasca
Place Made
Peru
Date Made
100 B.C.–600 A.D.
Period
Early Period
Medium
Ceramic, hand built, slip painted, burnished and fired
Dimensions
3 3/4 x 3 1/4 in. (9.53 x 8.26 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Nasli M. Heeramaneck
Accession Number
M.73.48.28
Classification
Ceramics
Collecting Area
Art of the Ancient Americas
Curatorial Notes

Dividing the surface of this small jar into panels using vertical and horizontal purple and orange bands, a Nasca artist filled each panel with as many mice or rats as would fit. Arranged into neat rows, all the critters face left. Their huge eyes and little red feet lend a degree of charm to the design. The role of rodents as pests that damage crops or steal stored goods is universal. Nonetheless, mice or rats are a common motif on Nasca ceramics, and their presence alongside mythical beings and war scenes indicates their integration into broader cultural narratives.