bowl in the form of a person, Recuay culture, in the National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology and History
Beautiful museum in the centre of Lima, focused on Peruvian Precolombian cultures
This museum provides an excellent chronological overview of the various Pre-Colombian cultures of Peru, also going back 5000 years. Their exquisitely painted pottery demonstrates the significant differences between the cultures, from the finely decorated Nasca vases of 2000 years old to the more crudely created, yet much younger, Huari pots. Paracas textiles and Moche and Lambayeque funary ornaments, stome sculptures and metal figurines, there are few collections more varied that the one in the National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology and History.
Great place to while away a couple of hours, with far to many top pieces to show here, so this is just a small sample of my favourites.
an antromorph figure (no details)
a dish with three figures inside, Huari culture (800-1300 AD)
a decorated bowl with an animal face, Pukara culture
detail of the previous bowl, note the delicate modelling and painting
Pukara bowl with a male face
bowl with a bird-man holding knife and trophy head, Nasca culture (100-800 AD)
a bottle finely painted with monkeys, also Nasca (100-800 AD)
bottle decorated with fisher-woman and fish, Nasca (100-800 AD)
a double-bottle with fishes and pelicans, Nasca (100-800 AD)
kolibri decoration of a bottle, Nasca (100-800 AD)
three small pots from the Chancay culture (1000-1450 AD)
chichimilcos figure, Chancay culture (1000-1450 AD)
pots with a carrier, Chancay culture (1000-1450 AD)
bottle with a hunter, Chancay culture (1000-1450 AD)
a textile cloth with people and trophy heads, Paracas culture (1250-100 BC)
corner of the cloth above
further detail, of the trophy heads
another detail of the cloth, man with trophy head
embroidered decoration of a woman, Paracas (1250-100 BC)
pitcher with a beautifully stylilised human body, Huari culture, Chaquipampa style (800-1300 AD)
Huanoco culture pot with a very simple face carved in clay
mask, breastplate and bottles in gold, silver and copper, Lambayeque culture (1000-1476 AD)
copper funerary mask, Lambayeque culture (1000-1476 AD)
