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Museum Collections - Ancient Peru - Paracas - Artifact #2
WHO: Paracas culture
WHERE: South coast, Peru
WHEN: Early Horizon, 500 -300 B.C.
WHAT: The bird depicted on this vessel is probably a Laughing Falcon (Herpetotheres cachinnans) which catches and eats snakes. It has a distinctive cream-coloured head with black mask-like markings over the eyes and a call which sounds like demonic laughter. The incised sections of the decoration on the bottle mimic the coloured bars of the bird's feathers on its body and wings. Falcons and hawks were popular in Andean art, perhaps because they are predators.
HOW: Coil-built and hand-modelled eathenware; smoke-fired and decorated with resin paint.
MUSEUM: Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art. G83.1.181
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