Feline Vessel with Stirrup Spout
1100–1470
Medium
Ceramic
Dimensions
25.7 × 24.9 cm (10 1/8 × 9 13/16 in.)
Classification
blackware (black basaltes)
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
91671
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Felines have been a prominent and recurring feature of ancient Andean art for millennia. Examples like this blackware vessel have been identified as representing pumas—the largest predator in this mountainous habitat. These fierce hunters became symbols of power within many societies. As numerous works in this gallery show, makers often portrayed authoritative human figures and divine beings with feline attributes like fangs, claws, and whiskers.
About the Artist
Chimú
The Chimú, a preeminent pre-Columbian culture of Peru's northern coast, flourished from approximately 900 to 1470 CE as the Kingdom of Chimor, emerging in the wake of the Moche civilization's decline and incorporating influences from the Sican, Wari, and Cajamarca cultures. Centered in the vast adobe metropolis of Chan Chan—the largest city in the Americas before the Inca, housing up to 60,000 peo...