Chancay Cuchimulco Pottery Figure

A tall square headdress, round goggling eyes and a mouth open in mild astonishment.

This cuchimulco pottery figure is Chancay, from Peru, and dates to 1000 – 1470 CE. It is terra cotta. The Chancay culture flourished on the central Peruvian coast before the Inca, and its potters are known for cream slips painted in dark brown, often in the form of people. The body is a swelling jar of reddish clay, darkened by fire clouds. A pale face with painted brows and ringed eyes sits below a tall band-like headdress with a modeled knob at the front. Short arms with small hands reach forward from cream slip shoulders. It is 13 inches high and 6.5 in diameter.

Surprise, preserved with real commitment.