Cup with Hummingbirds200–400 CE

Not on view

Title: Cup with Hummingbirds
Culture: Nasca
Place Made: Peru, South Coast
Date Made: 200–400 CE
Medium: Slip-painted ceramic
Dimensions: 2 3/4 x 4 5/8 in. (6.99 x 11.75 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Nasli M. Heeramaneck
Accession Number: M.73.48.40
Classification: Ceramics
Collecting Area: Art of the Ancient Americas
Curatorial Notes: The upside-down depiction of the birds on this vessel might indicate that they are sucking nectar from flowers, common motifs in Nasca art. The pattern of colors on their torsos suggests that they are coastal hummingbirds—typical of southern Peruvian deserts. In the Andes, the appearance of hummingbirds is associated with the blossoming of flowers and the start of the harvest season. Hummingbirds were also depicted by the Nasca in gigantic geoglyphs carved into the desert floor, a further testament to their symbolic importance (see also M.73.48.42).

Not on view

Title: Cup with Hummingbirds
Culture: Nasca
Place Made: Peru, South Coast
Date Made: 200–400 CE
Medium: Slip-painted ceramic
Dimensions: 2 3/4 x 4 5/8 in. (6.99 x 11.75 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Nasli M. Heeramaneck
Accession Number: M.73.48.40
Classification: Ceramics
Collecting Area: Art of the Ancient Americas
Curatorial Notes: The upside-down depiction of the birds on this vessel might indicate that they are sucking nectar from flowers, common motifs in Nasca art. The pattern of colors on their torsos suggests that they are coastal hummingbirds—typical of southern Peruvian deserts. In the Andes, the appearance of hummingbirds is associated with the blossoming of flowers and the start of the harvest season. Hummingbirds were also depicted by the Nasca in gigantic geoglyphs carved into the desert floor, a further testament to their symbolic importance (see also M.73.48.42).