Chancay Pottery Bowl

Pre-Columbian Era, Chancay Culture, 1000–1470 AD, Peru

This captivating small pottery bowl exemplifies the refined yet utilitarian ceramic tradition of the Chancay culture, which flourished along the central coast of Peru during the Late Intermediate Period. The vessel features a shallow, circular form with a defined foot ring, lending it both stability and a subtle sense of elevation.

Crafted from reddish-brown clay, the bowl’s interior is coated in a smooth cream-colored slip that serves as a striking backdrop for its bold decorative scheme. The design—composed of oblique crossing lines rendered in dark brown pigment—displays the abstract, geometric motifs characteristic of Chancay ceramic art. Though roughly executed, the motif evokes a visual rhythm that speaks to the culture’s aesthetic sensibilities.

Chancay artisans were renowned for their distinctive black-on-white pottery, which encompassed a wide range of forms and functions, from domestic ware to ceremonial vessels. Bowls like this may have been used in everyday life or as part of ritual practices, underscoring the duality of form and function in Chancay material culture.

Despite its modest size and simplicity, this elegant vessel offers a compelling window into the artistic traditions and symbolic language of one of pre-Columbian Peru’s most innovative coastal societies. It stands as a testament to the Chancay people's ability to merge practicality with expressive visual form.

Good condition. Intact. Surface wear and abrasions commensurate with age, nicks and chip, with encrusted patina and well-preserved original paintwork. Size approx. 13,0cm x 13,0cm x 3,3cm.

Provenance: From the estate of Sune Hederström (1883-1959), Sweden. Collected during his travels in South America in 1929-31.