Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Stirrup-spout Bottle
(Ancient Americas )
This bottle shows the fearsome face of a deity associated with kingship and human sacrifice. He sports a forehead ornament and a mouth mask with horizontal flaps. Actual examples of this jewelry, made of gold, have been found in graves. The Nasca alloyed gold with reddish copper to increase its strength and flexibility. Here the potter shows different parts of the figure using a range of red slips—diluted clay containing various minerals that turn different colors when fired. The Nasca developed at least five colors for their pottery based on red, including pink and orange.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Purchased by John G. Bourne (from unnamed dealer in New York); given to Walters Art Museum, 2013.
Geographies
Peru, South Coast (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 3 3/4 × Diam: 3 1/8 in. (9.5 × 7.9 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of John G. Bourne, 2013
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
2009.20.109