Chimú
Macaw effigy bottle
Chimú, 999
Physical Qualities
Earthenware, reduced black, 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Alan Wurtzburger
Object Number
1960.30.99
Sea and land birds are the frequent subject of Chimú art and architecture. Ducks, cormorants, parrots, tanager, and other species appear in wood, gold, stone, and ceramic. This example in ceramic represents a macaw. A smaller bird is appliqued at the spout juncture. The stirrup handle is embossed with miniature seabirds.
Macaw were valued for their colorful plumage. There are some indications that the bird was raised captive along with the Muscovy duck.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by gift, 1960; Alan and Janet Wurtzburger, by purchase, ??
The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Myths of Ancient Peru," October 7, 1969 to November 30, 1969, Circulated to Tennessee Fine Arts Center, Nashville, Tennessee; Loch Haven Art Center, Orlando, Forida; Jacksonville Art Museum, Jacksonville, Florida; Isaac Delgado Museum, New Orleans, Louisiana; Birmingham Art Museum, Birmingham, Alabama; Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia; and Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, North Carolina
"The Wurtzburger Collection Pre-Columbian Art," Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 1958, fig. 99.
"Myths of Ancient Peru," Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 1969, cat. no. 91.
Rowe, Ann Pollard, "1984 Costumes and Featherwork of the Lords of Chimor: Textiles from Peru's North Coast," Washington, D.C.: Textile Museum, fig. 140.
