Feline-Serpent Effigy Vessel

Dateca. AD 600-900

MediumCeramic

Dimensions5 1/2 x 6 inches (14 x 15.2 cm)

CultureWari (Peru)

PeriodMiddle Horizon

ClassificationsCeramics

Credit LineGift of Professor B. S. Monroe, transferred from University Collections, Olin Library

Terms

Perú
Ceramics
Ceramic
Animals
Cats
Snakes
Wari

Object number69.180

Label CopyBRIEF DESCRIPTION The term “effigy” is used to describe a sculpture or vessel in the shape of a person or animal. This Wari vessel is in the form of an animal with part feline, part serpentine characteristics. WHERE WAS IT MADE? This vessel was made in what is now Peru. HOW WAS IT MADE? The form of this vessel was likely hand-built with successive coils (pieces of rolled clay) that were then smoothed with a wooden paddle to make a continuous surface. The spouts and bridge were then formed by hand separately and attached. The vessel was painted with slip paints prior to being fired in an earthen pit. Slip is a mixture of clay and water. The natural color of the clay and how it reacts when fired determines the final color of the paint. After the slip dried, but before firing, the vessel was burnished to make the surface shiny. HOW WAS IT USED? Bottles like this one, with a double-spout-and-bridge form, may have been used to carry and serve liquids, since the narrow openings would have reduced losses from accidental spills and evaporation. Although water is vital in desert environments such as those found in many parts of the Andes, recent analyses of residues from Peruvian bottles and jars suggest that most of them were used to serve corn (maize) beer or chicha. Chicha was both an everyday beverage, made in households for family consumption, and an essential element in ritual and social interactions. WHY DOES IT LOOK LIKE THIS? This feline-headed snake effigy vessel is decorated in characteristic Wari style, with slip paint of different colors. Notice the double spouts and the bridge connecting them; this is common in Wari ceramics, and is evidence of the influence of the earlier south coast Nasca style on Wari art. To see an example of a Nasca double-spouted vessel in the Johnson Museum’s collection, search for object number 2006.070.399 in the keyword search box. Notice how the head of the animal resembles a cat, while the body is more like that of a snake. The mixture of serpentine and feline shapes is not unusual in pre-Columbian art; “monsters” (also called “dragons”) contain elements of reptiles and felines, although some also have wings indicating a bird-like (avian or eagle) element. Parts of other creatures may also be incorporated; such fantasy monsters are representative of a world that can only be reached through the use of hallucinogenic drugs. ABOUT THE WARI CULTURE: The Middle Horizon saw the advent of two major cultural foci in the south-central Andes: Wari (Huari) in Peru and Tiwanaku (Tiahuanaco) in Bolivia. Like the Moche, the Wari were a warrior society, bent on conquest. From the interior highland site of Huari in Ayacucho, the influence of the Wari Empire spread over much of Peru from the La Leche Valley in the north to the Majes Valley in the south. Wari ceramics were themselves strongly influenced by the earlier brightly painted Nasca ceramics found along neighboring regions of the coast. As in Nasca ceramics, Wari ceramic motifs are often outlined with thin black lines. Face-neck jars and double-spout-and-bridge vessel shapes are common. Wari textile designs share many of the decorative elements common to the ceramics of this period; tunic designs were standardized and some officials or bureaucrats appear to have worn state uniforms or rank insignia indicative of their specialized role in society. Wari administrative centers were rigidly organized with standardized building templates executed with great precision and regimentation.

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