Vessel; Paracas Culture, Peru, 700-300 BC.

Vessel; Paracas Culture, Peru, 700-300 B.C.
Polychrome terracotta.
Attached thermoluminescence.
It presents repainting and restorations in fracture lines.
Measurements: 23 x 18 x 15 cm.
Huaco in polychrome terracotta of figurative type, modeled by hand. It presents ovoid form, modeled in the likeness of a stylized head, of rounded volumes, small and pointed nose, slanted eyes and straight, low ears. The mouth, open and showing the teeth, is worked by incision, like the elements that adorn the face, including two snakes, one on the forehead and another with two heads above the mouth. The huaco has two spillways, joined by a bridge. The back part is painted in black, evoking hair, and the color also extends to cover the spillways, evoking a headdress or perhaps the horns of a hybrid character. The face is painted in an ocher tone, with the nose again black, green lines and the eyes with the iris in reserve on a black background.
The Paracas culture is the ancestor of the Nazca, with which it shows an evident cultural affinity. Developed in ancient Peru in the period known as the Late Formative or Early Horizon, it developed on the Paracas peninsula, in the region of Ica, between 700 and 200 B.C. Its most outstanding artistic manifestation was textile production, with high quality wool and cotton pieces, although its pottery and basketry also stand out. As for their pottery, the Paracas is recognized as the most complete in its evolution of the entire Andean Formative period. It presents very varied forms, vessels of all kinds, both for use and rituals, as well as anthropomorphic sculptures. Regarding the decoration of these pieces, it generally followed the same scheme: the motifs were delimited with incised lines, usually angular, made when the clay was still wet. After the bisque was fired, the polychrome was applied, with resin-based colors, mainly black, red, green, yellow and orange.