Double-chambered vessel

Dateca. 750–1375

MediumRedware, slip

Dimensions8 1/4 x 8 x 4 inches (21 x 20.3 x 10.2 cm)

CultureLambayeque (Peru)

PeriodLate Intermediate Period

ClassificationsCeramics

Credit LineGift of Matthew Drosdoff

Terms

Perú
Ceramics
Vessels - Pots
slip
Domestic interiors
Houses
Vessels - Pots
Shells
Lambayeque

Object number80.039.002

Label CopyBRIEF DESCRIPTION This Sicán vessel has two chambers and a single, tapered spout. WHERE WAS IT MADE? This vessel is most likely from the north coast of what is now Peru, probably from the Sicán culture centered in the Lambayeque Valley. HOW WAS IT MADE? The Sicán made many of their ceramics using two-part molds, a technique that enabled potters to make multiple pots of uniform design. First an original form was made from clay. After creating the mold (also ceramic) from this original, clay would be pressed into each half, and then later joined together. Sometimes hand modeling or coiling would also be utilized, and more than one technique could be used to produce a single pot. The buff color of the vessel is from a light colored slip. Slip is a mixture of clay and water that is applied to the vessel before it is fired in an earthen pit. Red slip lines decorate the vessel. HOW WAS IT USED? The function of pre-Columbian ceramic vessels is not easy to ascertain. Were these vessels made for the dead, fancy grave goods with specific religious or mythical imagery, or were they treasured possessions used in life? Or both? Although most pottery made in the past was functional ware used to cook, store, or serve foods, more elaborate pieces also conveyed social information. It appears that pre-Columbian people may have had special pots for display in their homes or for use during special occasions. According to the earliest chroniclers after the Spanish conquest, people put pottery on display in their homes that reflected what they did to make a living; for example, fishermen displayed pots with sharks in their homes, while hunters displayed pots with deer and other land animals. WHY DOES IT LOOK LIKE THIS? The front chamber of this vessel portrays a figure lying on a pillow in a hut (originally, there was probably a second human figure engaged in an erotic scene with this figure). The rear chamber is in the form of a spondylus shell (mullu). The mullu was a valued item, and appears in much of Sicán arT. ABOUT THE SICÁN CULTURE: The Sicán culture flourished in the Lambayeque Valley after the fall of the Wari and spread to control a large part of the Peruvian coast, including the valleys of La Leche, Saña, and Jequetepeque. Stylistic similarities between Sicán and the earlier Moche and the later Chimú ceramic traditions have caused a great deal of confusion in the classification of Sicán pottery in the past. Like Moche, Sicán ceramics may have a red-on-white color scheme; like Chimú, they are frequently made of blackware. Like Wari, Sicán pottery is characterized by double-spout-and-bridge vessels with tapered spouts. Pedestal bases are common, while stirrup-spout bottles are not. Rich burials attest to the tremendous level of artistic accomplishment achieved by Sicán goldsmiths. The Sicán culture was conquered by the Chimú around AD 1370.

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