< Back to Cultures of Ancient Peru

Paracas Pottery

Room 4, Vitrine 33


Ceramic
Peruvian Southern Coast
Formative Epoch (1250 BC – 1 AD)
ML010868, ML031690, ML031776, ML031777, ML031778, ML031781, ML031868, ML031869, ML031871, ML031873.

Paracas Caverns
This piece is covered with the incised decoration characteristic of the Formative Epoch. The paint was applied in thick layers after firing. The main colors employed are greenish-brown, red, black, pastel blue, white and yellow.
The way in which the feline is represented is reminiscent of the art of the Cupisnique culture: it appears anthropomorphized and highly-stylized.

Paracas Necropolis
This ceramic displays geometric motifs in positive and negative painting techniques. Unlike the ceramics, Paracas-Necropolis textiles are highly decorated.
The double spout and bridge handle, classic traits of the ceramics of the southern tradition, are often seen in the Paracas style and the later Nasca style.