Paracas Bowl with Double-Headed Snake
Date: 3rd Century BCE
Geography: Peru
Culture: Paracas
Medium: Ceramic, post-fired paint
Dimensions: Overall 2 1/2 in. (6.35 cm) Other: 4 1/2 in. (11.43 cm)
Classification: Ceramics-Containers
Credit Line: Gift of Nathan Cummings, 1963
Accession Number 63.232.73
This bowl’s thin walls form a rounded body with a slightly pinched rim, creating a soft square frame. Incised designs depict a pair of curving, double-headed snakes separated by geometric stepped motifs and vertical bars. This patterned repetition is highlighted by the artist’s use of color through post-fire pigments of red and green, which stand out against a white background. Originally the bowl had tans, grays and yellow pigments as well, however only faded fragments of these areas remain. The result is a symmetrical presentation of familiar recurrent motifs of Paracas imagery.
