500–400 BC
Ceramic, post-fire paint
Overall: 9 x 18 x 17.5 cm (3 9/16 x 7 1/16 x 6 7/8 in.)
J.H. Wade Trust Fund 2021.130
The animal shown on this bowl is the Pampas cat, a small, wild feline.
The Paracas often decorated their ceramics with geometricized representations of the native Pampas cat, a small, reclusive, wild feline that lives on the margins of agricultural fields, where it preys on the rodents and other pests that are a farmer’s bane. Thus, the ancients seem to have linked it to nature’s fertility and, by extension, human prosperity and continuity.
The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email [email protected].
To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.
All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.