Double-Spouted Vessel
Unknown Artist
500–900
Medium
ceramic, slip
Dimensions
h. 20.3 cm · diameter: 21.7 × 23.1 × 17.6 cm
Classification
Ceramic
Department
Art of the Americas
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
James Parmelee Fund
Accession Number
2002.94
About this artwork
This vessel was created during the time of the Wari culture, a superpower of the Andes mountains whose influence was felt in adjacent coastal areas, where this ceramic was made. Across the top of the vessel's chamber is a repeated design, a profile face and stepped fret, the meaning of which remains enigmatic. It also appears on Wari tapestry tunics, high-status garments worn by officials of the Wari state. The painting on the strap handle is quite unusual; it may represent stylized feline pelag...