ticketsMember | Make a donation

Double-spout bottle with flying figure

300–500 CE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 362
Nasca artists of Peru's southern coast produced quantities of ceramic vessels in a variety of shapes. The surfaces of these vessels are usually very smooth and shiny, and—unlike contemporary wares from the North Coast—they are painted in as many as thirteen colors, including white, red, brown, gray, yellow, orange, and pink. The vibrant tones were achieved by applying slips colored with mineral-based pigments to the hardened, smooth surface before firing. This bottle is dome-shaped with two spouts joined by a straplike handle, hence the name "double-spout-and-bridge" bottle, a vessel type with a long history in the area. Two identical figures are shown, each grasping a head in one hand and a staff in the other. Their short bodies float sideways on a white background, and black outlining adds to the crispness of the complex imagery. The figures wear elaborate costumes consisting of a forehead ornament, mouth mask, pendant disks, necklace, tunic, loincloth, and cape, and have white, staring eyes and protruding tongues. Little faces animate the forehead ornament, the whiskers of the mouth mask, and staff, while profile heads appear on the cape. Such masked figures are common in Nasca art, where they are generally identified as mythical beings or deified ancestors.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Double-spout bottle with flying figure
  • Artist: Nasca artist(s)
  • Date: 300–500 CE
  • Geography: Peru, South Coast
  • Culture: Nasca
  • Medium: Ceramic, slip
  • Dimensions: H. 6 3/4 × Diam. 6 1/2 in. (17.1 × 16.5 cm)
  • Classification: Ceramics-Containers
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Arthur M. Bullowa Bequest, 1996
  • Object Number: 1996.174
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Spout-and-bridge bottles with stepped design, Nasca artist(s), Ceramic, slip, Nasca
Spout-and-bridge bottles with stepped design
Nasca artist(s)
1–400 CE
Head jar, Nasca artist(s), Ceramic, slip, Nasca
Head jar
Nasca artist(s)
100–500 CE
Head jar, Nasca artist(s), Ceramic, slip, Nasca
Head jar
Nasca artist(s)
100–500 CE
Textile ornament, Nasca artist(s), Gold, Nasca
Textile ornament
Nasca artist(s)
1–700 CE
Bird-shaped ornament, Nasca artist(s), Gold, Nasca
Bird-shaped ornament
Nasca artist(s)
1–700 CE

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.