Nasca double spout and bridge vessel with human heads and mythical beings

Nasca double spout and bridge vessel with human heads and mythical beings

This object is from the Andean south coast from the late Nasca period in the shape of a double spout and bridge vessel, with two spouts connected by its handle. The object’s polychromatic appearance is made from slip paints applied before firing. The colors on this object include hues such as red, yellow, and white, with the designs being done by black outlines. The surface of the object appears glossy from burnishing the object after the slips were almost dried. The iconography features anthropomorphic mythical beings on the upper region of the vessel and trophy heads on the lower region in a horizontal row separated by a black line.

These anthropomorphic mythical beings are seen with their tongues sticking out - a quality of beings known as ‘trophy head tasters.’ In this case, instead of connecting to a trophy head, their tongues connect the abstract AMB faces to each other. This is also known as “proliferous style”, seen in the abstract nature of the AMB’s. These beings are known for having supernatural connotations. They are human-like figures that are an aspect of Nasca religious thought. Another iconographic feature is that of the masks on the anthropomorphic mythical beings. These masks are very feline-like which is a prominent feature found across most Nasca ceramics. The masks portrayed in this late Nasca style usually take over the entire face of the AMB and become one and the same with each creature. These AMB’s are also usually portrayed with a wide-eye look. The faces lined up at the bottom of the ceramic depict the trophy/decapitated heads. They all are portrayed with a blank stare, along with whisker-like lines coming out from their faces. A reason for them being portrayed beneath the AMB’s could be to show the duality between the supernatural world above, and the human realm below (on earth).

Nasca

Early Intermediate Period (200 BCE-500 CE)

Peru--South Coast

Three dimensional object

Ceramic

20 (h) cm.

8 (h) in.

1228

Mrs. Oscar Robinson Collection

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

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.