Mythic Nazca Orca Vessel

Among the Nazca people of ancient Peru, there exists a legend of an orca that captured the heads of humans. Walter Jose Acosta depicts the creature in an intriguing huaco, or clay vessel. Heads captured by the whale appear within its sleek body but visible nonetheless as the creature prepares to dive into its kingdom deep in the ocean. In the Nazca lines, fish characters allude to this deity.

"The message Walter Jose Acosta want his art to convey is that “our ancestors crafted beautiful and complex pieces with only their hands as tools, without the kind of technology we have nowadays. Through their work, they expressed all that they saw and wondered about from their environment, their thoughts, and beliefs. Clay was their medium. I feel that Peruvian ceramic art is a way to communicate with our ancestors and to keep them alive for the coming generations.”

This reproduction is typical of Pre-Columbian pottery from Southern Peru, that is presented in the Dumbarton Oaks Museum exhibition A Beautiful Dichotomy; Contrasting Pre-Columbian Peruvian Ceramics.

Weight:  1.6 lbs

Dimensions:  11" H x 3.5" W x 9" D

Ceramic

Clean with a soft, dry cloth

For decorative use only

Made in Peru.