On view
Art of the Ancient Americas
Flat stamp,
1000–500 BCE
Cupisnique
Early Horizon
2020-374
In the Andes the last millennium BCE witnessed an explosive increase in art production and a consistent set of visual motifs across a variety of media. Fierce, fanged creatures, blending the qualities of humans and predatory animals, appear in abundance, brandishing long claws. Because the style was traditionally associated with the ritual center of Chavín de Huantar, objects encountered across Peru that share these visual qualities have been described as Chavín style. Artists across Peru, however, adapted the Chavín style to their own contexts and needs.
Information
Title
Flat stamp
Dates
1000–500 BCE
Medium
Ceramic
Dimensions
4.4 × 4.4 × 3.8 cm (1 3/4 × 1 3/4 × 1 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, Gillett G. Griffin Art of the Ancient Americas Fund
Object Number
2020-374
Place Made
South America, Peru, Cupisnique, North highlands
Culture
Period
Type
Materials
1968, private collection, New York [1]; 2020, sold to the Princeton University Art Museum.
Note:
[1] According to purchase ledger of private collection, New York. Copy in the curatorial file.
Deity head flat stamp
