Chimu spout-and-handle vessel with human effigy.

Chimu spout-and-handle vessel with human effigy.

The sculptural vessel has a spout and handle with a sphere-shaped base. The vessel is a monochrome blackware with raised dot designs, burnished line patterns, and a dividing line between the upper and the lower half of the vessel. The end of the spout has a sculptured humanoid face, facing the opposite direction of the handle. The spout appears to be broken at the top, exposing the ceramic. There are areas near the spout that appear discolored, indicating that the vessel is possibly becoming worn down. The mouth of the human figure is closed with no indicative facial expressions and the eyes appear to be open.

There is a repeating pattern around the top half of the sphere of a noticeably thick, raised line curving inwards. There are four of these, each in its own quadrant. There is a thick, raised, line circling underneath the face that extends downward in a straight line. This eventually connects to the line separating the upper and the lower half of the object. The vessel was most likely made from a mold because of the visible seams and gray appearance evident in the object. The human-like face does not appear to be a portrait of an actual person, indicating a generic representation of a human. This could also support the theory that this vessel was created with a mold. If it was made from a mold, there could be other vessels similar to the one described here.

Chimu

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

Peru--North Coast

Three dimensional object

Ceramic

18 (h) cm.

7 (h) in.

1608-81

Jack Danciger 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.