Miniature Handled Bottle with Abstract Motifs
600–1000
Medium
Ceramic and pigment
Dimensions
7.6 × 7.3 cm (3 × 2 7/8 in.)
Classification
earthenware
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
90879
Art Historical Context
This exquisite miniature handled bottle hails from the Tiwanaku culture, a thriving Andean civilization centered near Lake Titicaca in present-day Bolivia from around 600 to 1000 CE. Crafted from earthenware and adorned with pigments, it measures just 7.6 × 7.3 cm, making it a pocket-sized treasure that speaks volumes about the ingenuity of pre-Inca artisans. Tiwanaku society was renowned for its monumental stone architecture and sophisticated crafts, and ceramics like this one were essential to daily life, rituals, and exchanges. The bottle's abstract motifs, painted in vibrant pigments over...