Single-spout Bottle in the Form of a Hooded Figure (one of a pair)
Unidentified Nasca (Nazca) maker
Early Nasca, 100-200, Dawson Phase 2
Terracotta in buff, orange, brown, black, and gray slip
Overall: 8 9/16 × 5 1/8 in. (21.8 × 13 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Gift of Frederick E. and Constance M. Landmann
987.48.26884
Geography
Place Made: South Coast region, Peru, South America
Period
1-500
Object Name
Pottery
Research Area
Americas
On view
Label
Are these figures human or supernatural? Their sharp teeth and pointed, claw-like fingers certainly seem unusual, but this could simply be a stylistic approach to familiar features or an example of a person wearing a costume. Each figure holds a pepper, wears a stitched cap, and sits with their legs crossed in front of them, all characteristics associated with the Nasca Harvester motif.
The Nasca lived on the southern coast of Peru, a region that receives as little as four millimeters of rain a year due to atmospheric conditions that make it difficult for clouds to form and produce moisture. Therefore, the Nasca utilized water runoff from the Andes Mountains to grow maize, sweet potatoes, cotton, squash, and other crops. This pairing of a bottle used to hold liquids with a depiction of a divine figure meant to support the fertility of nature emphasizes the importance of water for the Nasca.
From the 2024 exhibition Ancient Narratives: A New Look at Old Art, curated by Ashley B. Offill, Curator of Collections
Course History
ANTH 24, Early Civilizations of the Andes, Alan Covey, Spring 2014
ANTH 24, Early Civilizations of the Andes, Alan Covey, Spring 2014
CLST 12.03, ANTH 13.01, Who Owns the Past?, Julie Hruby and Jesse Casana, Winter 2020
SART 17.08, Digital Drawing, Karol Kawiaka, Fall 2020
COCO 26.01, What's in Your Toolbox?, Heidi Denzel and Mokhtar Bouba, Fall 2022
COCO 26.01, What's in Your Toolbox?, Heidi Denzel and Mokhtar Bouba, Fall 2022
Anthropology 3.01, Introduction to Anthropology, Charis Ford Morrison Boke, Summer 2023
Italian 3.01, Introductory Italian III, Floriana Ciniglia, Winter 2024
Religion 4.01, Jewish Studies 4.01, Religion of Israel: Hebrew Bible, Susan Ackerman, Winter 2024
Studio Art 16.01, Sculpture I, Matt Siegle, Winter 2024
Anthropology 55.01, Anthropology of Global Health, Anne Sosin, Spring 2024
Geography 21.01, International Studies 18.01, Global Health and Society, Anne Sosin, Spring 2024
Exhibition History
Ancient and Premodern Global Cultures, Gene Y. Kim Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, January 26, 2019.
Gene Y. Kim, Class of 1985, Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, February 18, 2005-January 21, 2008.
Global Cultures at the Hood: Ancient to Premodern, Gene Y. Kim Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, January 26. 2019.
Oculate Beings and Horrible Birds: Image and Meaning in Ancient Andean Art, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, March 30, 1999-November 5, 2000, no. 10.
Publication History
John R. Stomberg, The Hood Now: Art and Inquiry at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire: Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, 2019, p. 75, ill. plate no. 6.
Provenance
Collected by Frederick E. (1907-2003) and Constance M. (1912-2011) Landmann, Hanover, New Hampshire, date unknown; given to present collection, 1987.
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