lifeafterlife

		CUPISNIQUE North Coast 400-200 BCE STIRRUP POT WHISTLE SPOUT LMA 7267 Size: 14 cm tall Manufacture: Modeled Surface: Smoke blackened with engraving Firing: Semi-reduced
The use of incised decoration on the surface of vessels is characteristic of the Cupisnique. The motifs, which are difficult to interpret, seem to be related to carvings found at Chavín de Huantar in the highlands. The blackened surface was achieved by semi-reduction, an early technique. After the pot has been fired, the decoration was incised into the surface with a sharp tool, revealing the natural color of the clay below. Incising fired clay is very difficult, and the result is a rather sketchy and uneven design. The bird on the spout has a small opening in its mouth, and “sang” …well… whistled when the pot was emptied.

		CUPISNIQUE North Coast 400-200 BCE STIRRUP POT JAGUAR DEITY(?) LMA 6653 Size: 14 cm tall Manufacture: Modeled Surface: Slip-painted with engraving Firing: Oxidizing
The engraving on this pot suggests a feline face, and probably represents a jaguar. The use of slips provides the two colors, which are enhanced by incised decoration.

		CHAVIN North Coast 400-200 BCE STIRRUP POT CONDOR(?) LMA 6643 Size: 15.5 cm tall Manufacture: Mold-pressed Surface: Smoke blackened Firing: Semi-reduced
This mold-pressed vessel shows a large bird, probably a condor, on both sides of the vessel. Each half of the body of the pot would have been pressed from a mold, and then joined by hand. The stirrup would have been added later. The coloring of such early vessels was obtained using a reducing atmosphere. The oxygen was removed during the firing process and the sooty smoke within the kiln would blacken the surface. In later vessels, this technique was perfected to the point of achieving very pure and lustrous black surfaces. During this period, however, the blackening is uneven and translucent, creating a rich and varied surface.

		SALINAR North Coast 300 BCE - 100 CE WHISTLE SPOUT VESSEL MONKEY LMA 7266 Size: 23 cm tall Manufacture: Modeled Surface: Cream and red slips Firing: Oxidizing
Another of the early cultures which emerged after the fall of Chavín was the Gallinazo. This group seems quite different from the neighboring Salinar, and may be more closely related to the Vicús in the north rather than to southern groups. Gallinazo pottery is visually quite similar to that of the Vicús, with surfaces covered in resist painting with white highlights. In this case parts of the surface of a burnished vessel were covered with a removable resin. The vessel was then semi-reduced, darkening the exposed areas. After firing, the resin coating was removed exposing the original red clay coloring beneath. The white highlights were then painted on.

		SALINAR North Coast 300 BCE - 100 CE WHISTLE SPOUT VESSEL OWL LMA 7239 Size: 23 cm tall Manufacture: Modeled Surface: Cream and red slips Firing: Oxidizing
The use red and cream slips and the peculiar sharp-shouldered vessel body are both clear indicators of Salinar work. The owl must have been perceived as an important animal in many Peruvian cultures, as there are other examples in the collections.

		GALLINAZO North Coast Virú Valley 1 CE-100 CE TRIPOD POT MONKEY MOTIF LMA Size: 23 cm tall Manufacture: Modeled Surface: Cream and red slips, resist painted and blackened Firing: Oxidizing and semi-reduced
Another of the early cultures which emerged after the fall of Chavín was the Gallinazo. This group seems quite different from the neighboring Salinar, and may be more closely related to the Vicús in the north rather than to southern groups. Gallinazo pottery is visually quite similar to that of the Vicús, with surfaces covered in resist painting with white highlights. In this case parts of the surface of a burnished vessel were covered with a removable resin. The vessel was then semi-reduced, darkening the exposed areas. After firing, the resin coating was removed exposing the original red clay coloring beneath. The white highlights were then painted on.

		GALLINAZO North Coast Virú Valley 1 CE-100 CE EFFIGY POT OPOSSUM(?) LMA 7247 Size: 23 cm long Manufacture: Modeled Surface: Resist painted and blackened Firing: Oxidizing and semi-reduced
This vessel has the same loop handle and resist painting as the previous example. The shape of the head is suggestive of an opossum or related animal.