Bridge-spout vessel with felines and deity faces,

400–200 BCE

The Paracas culture of the arid south coast of Peru flourished during the final millennium BCE, incorporating Chavín-style imagery and artistic techniques from its contemporaries in Peru’s central highlands into distinctly local styles. Although the culture is most famous for intricate embroidered textiles, wrapped in many layers around mummies, Paracas ceramics also merit appreciation. Paracas ceramics were incised with the outlines of their dense, often geometric designs while the clay was still leather-hard. After firing, the vessels were painted with mineral pigments suspended in plant resin. The resin may then have been carefully heated to smooth the surface, as no brush marks are evident. This technique allowed for brilliant coloration in a wide range of hues. Powerful animals and supernatural creatures—including the Oculate Being, so called because of its prominent eyes—appear with frequency.