Skip to main content
Waisted Vessel - Image 1
Waisted Vessel - Image 2

Nasca

Waisted Vessel

Nasca, 425-600

Thumbnail 1
Thumbnail 2
Scroll

Nasca

Waisted Vessel

Nasca, 425-600

Physical Qualities Ceramic, polychrome slip, 4 1/4 x 5 13/16 in. (10.8 x 14.8 cm.)
Credit Line Gift of Dr. George G. Graham, Alexander S. Graham, and Carol Lee Graham
Object Number 2003.193
Identifiable by their thin, even walls and shiny surfaces, Nasca ceramics featured up to 13 colors, which was more than appeared on vessels created by any other culture in the Americas in antiquity. The Nasca people, who lived on the southern coast of Peru from around 100 BCE–700 CE, created some of the most vibrant and refined ceramic vessels of the Americas before the arrival of Europeans in the region in the 16th century. From left to right, note the change in Nasca ceramics. The earliest Nasca works include identifiable figures, like the striped frogs and lúcuma fruit on the double-spout bottle at the far left. Ceramics created in the following centuries, like the jar and waisted vessel, became increasingly abstract. Supernatural figures hover in mid-air with rays emitting from their bodies, which then explode into geometric shapes. Late Nasca ceramics, such as the striped polychrome vase, were taller and focused on geometric patterns. The stripes of this vessel mimic designs from Nasca textiles, which were treasured goods in Andean society. Group label for 2016.203, 1953.34.3, 2003.193, and 2016.204.
Ancient Americas Gallery Rotations 2021

Ancient Americas Gallery Rotations 2022

Ancient Americas Gallery Rotations 2023

Ancient Americas Rotations 2024

Culture

Nasca

2000–2000

Meet Nasca →

Explore the Collection Further

Nasca
Polychrome Vase
600
Nasca
Waisted Vessel
2001–600
Nasca
Double-Spout Bottle Decorated with Striped Frogs and Lúcuma Fruit
2001
Nasca
Waisted Vessel
400–499
Nasca
Vessel in the Shape of a Head
500
Voania from Muba
Vessel with Human Figure
1887–1927
Nasca
Polychrome Bowl
325–450
June Schwarcz
Vessel #2191
2000
Nasca
Dipper
300–600
June Schwarcz
Vessel #963
1986
Nasca
Bottle
400–600
Theaster Gates Jr.
Covered Vessel
2014