Shipibo Vessel

Dated: 1984 (prior to)

Cultural Context: Shipibo style.

Origin: Peru (South America)

Medium: Ceramic, Natural pigment

Technique: Roll-modelled, Painted, Modelled [Face]

Dimensions: Height = 14.6 cm; Maximum diameter = 21 cm; Base: Diameter = 9.5 cm ; Mouth: Diameter = 12 cm

Inventory no.: 1984/09/292

Globular vessel with a convex base and an anthropomorphic neck with pronounced nose, eyes, mouth and ears. The entire surface is geometrically decorated in black on a cream background, except for some details in red. The lower part is decorated in ochre. The interior is decorated in black.

Shipibo pottery is considered one of the most iconic and significant manifestations of this Amazonian group. Even their beliefs are related to this type of art; some pieces reflect the myth of the creation of mankind or the microcosm with its differentiated worlds.

Women produce household goods, and an older woman chooses one of her granddaughters to be her apprentice at the age of four or five. They do not use the potter's wheel, but rather roll successive strips of clay that they have kneaded with their hands and then smooth them with the help of a spatula or, in the old days, with the rough tongue of the paiche fish. One of the main decorative motifs, as we can see on this piece, is Roni Quënëya (boa designs), which are zigzag motifs derived from the markings on the skin of this snake. Another type is the Caros Qüenëya (cross designs). This motif extends throughout the piece, even decorating the face, another of the characteristic manifestations of this group.