Incised bowl with birds
Unknown Artist
3rd–2nd century BCE
Medium
Ceramic, pigment
Dimensions
H. 2 15/16 × Diam. 8 3/4 in. (7.5 × 22.2 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Containers
Culture
Paracas
Department
Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Nathan Cummings, 1962
Accession Number
62.266.37
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate incised bowl with birds hails from the Paracas culture of ancient Peru, dating to the 3rd–2nd century BCE. Crafted a ceramic container, it measures just under 3 inches tall and nearly 9 inches across, perfect for everyday use or ritual offerings in a society flourishing along Peru's southern coast. The Paracas people, predecessors to the Inca, were renowned for their sophisticated artistry, often blending functionality with symbolic decoration to reflect their worldview. The bowl's surface features intricate incisions—fine lines carved into the clay before firing—depicting birds...