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Source Description
Supernatural figures like the one on this bowl are shown wearing ornaments that actually exist-like the nearby Mouth Mask-they may represent humans clothed as deities who served as living cult images during rituals. The figure holds a severed head that probably alludes to capture of an enemy’s life force, since severed heads and fertility are linked in Nasca art.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
127246
label
Bowl with Costumed Being
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
127246
contentType
object
title
Bowl with Costumed Being
description
Supernatural figures like the one on this bowl are shown wearing ornaments that actually exist-like the nearby Mouth Mask-they may represent humans clothed as deities who served as living cult images during rituals. The figure holds a severed head that probably alludes to capture of an enemy’s life force, since severed heads and fertility are linked in Nasca art.
date
100 BCE–700 CE
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60755061
genreSpecific
Ceramic
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Diameter: 12.8 x 17.7 cm (5 1/16 x 6 15/16 in.); Overall: 13 cm (5 1/8 in.)
cul
Peru, South Coast, Nasca
accession
1949.561
Source extras
tec
earthenware with colored slips
tombstone
Bowl with Costumed Being, 100 BCE–700 CE. Peru, South Coast, Nasca. Earthenware with colored slips; diameter: 12.8 x 17.7 cm (5 1/16 x 6 15/16 in.); overall: 13 cm (5 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of John Wise, 1949.561
collection
AA - Andes
citations
citation
Foote, Helen. "Early Peruvian Pottery." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art </em>37, no. 3 (March 1950): 54-56.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 52; Mentioned: p. 55
creditline
Gift of John Wise
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:33:39.438000
sourceId
127246
dept
Art of the Americas
coll
AA - Andes
med
earthenware with colored slips
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
ec21c1fa66c9b6b4