Bottle, Falcon
Date: 3rd-2nd Century BC
Culture: Paracas
Medium: ceramic, pigment
Overall 6 1/4 in. (15.88 cm) Other: 6 1/2 in. (16.51 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Nathan Cummings, 1962
A bird is depicted on this vessel in form and decoration. Rather than the typical double spout with bridge form, one of the stirrup spouts is a three-dimensional modeled bird head. The bird’s beak faces inward towards the other stirrup spout. Incised lines define the features of the bird’s head continue past the neck where the modeled head joins a flat rendition of the bird’s body along the surface of the vessel. Incisions define abstracted wings, and what could be a tail and legs. Alternating sections of the bird are decorated with red pigment. The other side of the bottle is undecorated. Below the bird’s beak is an opening. This vessel would have been used for storing or pouring small amounts of liquids and may have whistled when liquid was poured out of the bottle.
