Chancay
Figure of a llama
Chancay, 1099-1419
Physical Qualities
Creamware, black pigment, 2 3/4 × 2 3/8 × 5 11/16 in. (7 × 6 × 14.5 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of the Jamosil Foundation, Alexandria, Virginia
Object Number
1989.192
Chancay describes a culture and pottery style of the Late Intermediate Period (ca. AD 1000-1300) Peruvian coast. Chancay potters mass-produced mold-made effigy vessels, hollow figurines of female dignitaries ("cuchimilcos"), and double/triple-chambered bottles with figural attachments. One signature pottery sub-style is black-on-white, of which this example is typical (watery white slip, faded black paint appears blue).