Chimu sculptural blackware reclining llama jar

Dublin Core

Title

Chimu sculptural blackware reclining llama jar

Description

This is object 1608-82 from the Digital Archiver Services at UT. This Chimu object is a ceramic jar. The jar is a monochrome black. Its color is possibly blackware, which is produced because of an oxygen reduction firing technique. The texture is smooth and reflects light off it. The reflective surface could mean the vessel was burnished. The jar depicts a shaved llama laying out on its left side. The style is naturalistic. The features of the animal are realistic, and no mythological elements were added to the depiction of it.
The vessel has a round belly and a thick neck directly on top that widens into the mouth of the jar. There is a llama head sculpted sticking out of the right side of the jar’s belly. On the left side, there is a nub depicting the llama’s tail sticking out from the left side of the jar. The front legs of the llama are proportionally small and are modeled into the surface of the jar close to the llama’s head, while the back legs are also proportionally small but modeled into the surface of the jar close to the tail. The stomach and back of the llama are the smooth, round edges of the jar. It gives the llama a pregnant look. In this ceramic, the llama is depicted without a harness, signifying its usage of food instead of a source for travel.

Creator

Chimu

Date

Late Intermediate Period (1000-1438 CE)-Late Horizon (1438-1532 CE)

Coverage

Peru--North Coast

Type

Three dimensional object
Ceramic

Format

18 (h) cm.
7 (h) in.

Identifier

1608-82

Relation

Jack Danciger Collection

Source

Art and Art History Collection (AAHC), College of Fine Arts, The University of Texas at Austin

Rights

If you would like to publish this image in print or electronically, please contact the Curator of the Art & Art History Collection, Dr. Astrid Runggaldier, at astrid@austin.utexas.edu.