Trichrome double-spout-and-bridge ceramic cooking pot with fish iconography

Trichrome double-spout-and-bridge ceramic cooking pot with fish iconography

This is object 1608-238 from the Digital Archiver Services at UT. The color of this Nasca artifact is prominent, drawing attention to the area on the top. The primary hues used on this vessel consist of red and black, which when used together create an earthy brown color, which implies a naturalistic theme. The brown hue is most prevalent on the ceramic, but the black used creates sharp images of the fish on top, with the red being used on the spouts. The texture of the ceramic is smooth and polished, with the reflection of light emphasizing the abundance of fish. This depiction is representative of a seafood pot, as the fish being on top of the pot indicates the value in abundance. This ceramic portrays a pot full of fish due to the implication of the fish on top.

The theme of this ceramic is naturalism. These fish signify abundance of food, which connects to this theme of naturalism. The animals represented are not mythical in appearance or hybrids, but rather fish. The medium that was used is clay, and which the natural color of clay helped further reinforce the earthly tones used. Even with the withering of paint, the shade of the clay would continue to keep the naturalistic tendencies of the ceramic.

Nasca

Early Intermediate Period (200 BCE-500 CE)

Peru--South Coast

Three dimensional object

Ceramic

15 (h) cm.

6 (h) in.

1608-238

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.