Anthropomorphic bottle
Anthropomorphic bottle
Anthropomorphic bottle
Anthropomorphic bottle
Anthropomorphic bottle
Anthropomorphic bottle
Anthropomorphic bottle
Anthropomorphic bottle
Anthropomorphic bottle
Anthropomorphic bottle

On view

Art of the Ancient Americas

Anthropomorphic bottle,

850–1000

Wari (possibly Atarco style)
Middle Horizon (Epoch 2)
2024-30
The expansive influence of the interrelated Tiwanaku and Wari empires defines the Middle Horizon period in Peruvian archaeology. From about 500 to 1000 CE, Tiwanaku was the hub of trade networks. With its eponymous center on Lake Titicaca, it encompassed and expanded beyond what is today Bolivia. The Wari empire, situated to the north, simultaneously imposed its own systems of control and aesthetics on communities throughout much of what is today Peru. Their art shares many stylistic features, although some Wari art employs complex forms of abstraction not seen in Tiwanaku visual culture. On the tunic worn by the Wari male figure above, for example, the interlocking opposed skeletal heads become colorful stripes. The Tiwanaku wood kero (ceremonial drinking cup) presents a frontal face with emanating, serpentine rays, a signature motif of Tiwanaku art that also adorns the silver plumes in the case opposite.

Information

Title
Anthropomorphic bottle
Dates

850–1000

Medium
Ceramic with polychrome slip-paint
Dimensions
h. 24.1, diam. 15.2 cm (9 1/2 × 6 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, The Peter Jay Sharp, Class of 1952, Curatorship of the Art of the Ancient Americas
Object Number
2024-30
Place Made

South America, Peru, South coast

Culture
Huari
Period
Middle horizon
Type
bottles, ceramics

By 1969, John and Sue Tishman, New York (P25/P29) [1]; 2007, purchased by private collector, New York [2]; 2024, private collection, New York, sold to Princeton University Art Museum.

Notes:
[1] The Tishmans assigned numbers to works in their collection, whereby lower-numbered objects were acquired prior to higher-numbered objects. The numbers changed over time as works were donated or sold from the collection. A series of appraisals of the collection produced by Robert Sonin, copies of which are in the curatorial file and date as early as 1970, list this object as P25 or P29 depending on the copy. Another work on the list, numbered P31 and P35, respectively, was exhibited and published in 1969, providing a terminus ante quem by which the proposed object was in the Tishman collection.

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The Museum regularly researches its objects and their collecting histories, updating its records to reflect new information. We also strive to catalogue works of art using language that is consistent with how people, subjects, artists, and cultures describe themselves. As this effort is ongoing, the Museum’s records may be incomplete or contain terms that are no longer acceptable. We welcome your feedback, questions, and additional information that you feel may be useful to us. Email us at collectionsinfo@princeton.edu.

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