Description

Nasca pottery is renowned for its vibrant use of colours – up to 10 or 12 on a single vessel – and intricate, highly stylized, abstract designs. This vessel, however, depicts a simple geometric, step-fret design on the band. The simplicity of the design suggests it dates to earlier Nasca phases, though geometric designs became much more common in later phases as complicated iconography slowly transformed into more compact, abstract, simplified forms of meaning. Due to the minimal use of colour and simple patterns, this vessel may date to either early or final phases of Nasca, periods which lacked the extravagance of middle phases. It is also entirely possible this was a strictly utilitarian vessel and its simple design reflects its purpose. Simple patterns and bands such as those on this vessel could in fact contain hidden meaning yet to be discovered, that may never be known.