Bowl with Trophy Heads
Unknown Artist
c. 100–650 CE
Medium
ceramic, slip
Dimensions
10.2 × 10.2 cm
Classification
Ceramic
Department
Art of the Americas
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Barry Bradley
Accession Number
2009.435
About this artwork
Nasca is one of the two major cultures and ceramic styles of its periods, and one of the finest ceramic styles ever produced in the South American Andes. Vessel walls are thin, firing temperatures higher than in earlier times, and a variety of warm, earthen-toned slips come into use. This small bowl features repetitions of human trophy heads—a major Nasca motif that refers both to war and fertility.