100 BC-700
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.)
Gift of John Wise 1949.561
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.
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