Double Spout and Bridge Vessel with Incised and Painted Motifs
- Culture
- Paracas
- Date
- c.800–400 BCE
- Material
- Ceramic with pigment
- made in
- Peru, South America
- Classification
- Ceramics, containers
- Collection
- Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 111
- Dimensions
- 6 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. (16.5 x 19 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Morton D. May
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 160:1980
NOTES
The dull and powdery appearance of colors on Paracas ceramics is a result of the deterioration of resinous pigments applied after vessels were fired. The paint was originally very smooth and shiny, yet extremely fragile. Over time, exposure to heat or excess moisture would cause the paint to blister and fade. Although rare, when two-headed snakes occur in nature, both heads usually appear at the same end of the snake. Depictions of double-headed snakes in Paracas material have a head at both ends, altering what is found in the natural world and making this vessel unique. The double-headed snake is a motif more common on Paracas textiles than ceramics. The presence of whiskers and pelt markings on the snake reinforce the importance of feline iconography.
Provenance
- 1964
Carlebach Gallery, Inc., New York, NY, USA
1964 - 1980
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, purchased from Carlebach Gallery, Inc. [1]
1980 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Morton D. May
Notes:
[1] An invoice dated April 26, 1964 to Morton D. May documents this purchase, listed as "29512 Paracas Oavernas [sic, Cavernas] Water Jug with Mudfish." Carlebach Gallery, Inc. is not identified on the printed invoice, although it was located in the Carlebach Gallery folder within the May Archives, and the type-print is consistent with other Carlebach Gallery invoices [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[2] A letter dated April 3, 1980 from Morton D. May to John Peters MacCarthy, president of the Saint Louis Art Museum Board of Commissioners, includes the offer of this object as part of a larger donation [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Acquisitions and Loans Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, June 6, 1980.
Carlebach Gallery, Inc., New York, NY, USA
1964 - 1980
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, purchased from Carlebach Gallery, Inc. [1]
1980 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Morton D. May
Notes:
[1] An invoice dated April 26, 1964 to Morton D. May documents this purchase, listed as "29512 Paracas Oavernas [sic, Cavernas] Water Jug with Mudfish." Carlebach Gallery, Inc. is not identified on the printed invoice, although it was located in the Carlebach Gallery folder within the May Archives, and the type-print is consistent with other Carlebach Gallery invoices [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[2] A letter dated April 3, 1980 from Morton D. May to John Peters MacCarthy, president of the Saint Louis Art Museum Board of Commissioners, includes the offer of this object as part of a larger donation [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Acquisitions and Loans Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, June 6, 1980.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.