Peruvian Bridge-Spout Vessel, 100–300

This globular-bodied Early Nasca style vessel presents two monumental images of the Andean condor. The boldly outlined geometrical shapes of the birds and their abstracted mountain environment match beautifully with the vessel’s curves. Like most ancient Peruvian ceramics, this vessel was made without recourse to a potter’s wheel. Built up from coils of clay, it was likely turned on a low turntable so that the potter could keep the thin walls of the vessel evenly finished on all sides. Nasca ceramics, like this example, present a wider range of color than any other ceramic tradition in the Americas. The slips used were made from water and mineral pigments (iron oxide for red, manganese for black). When the painted vessel was almost dry, it was carefully burnished before firing, probably using an oil to prevent smudging the colors.