A portrait of a dignitary, likely a priest or shaman. The finely modeled face is adorned with two undulating serpents whose heads face each other at the center of the forehead - a symbol of ritual power and access to invisible realms. Wari culture Peru double-spout vessel in polychrome terracotta circa 700-1000 CE.

Double-spout vessel
polychrome terracotta
700-1000 CE
Wari culture
Peru

#handmade #pottery #ancientart #art #prehispanic #precolumbian #wariculture #peru #vessel #priest #shaman #ritual #magic #doublesnakes #religion #ancientcultures #ancientperu

Ritual beaker
carved wood
500-1200 CE
Wari culture
Peru

#ritual #beaker #culture #religion #carved #wood #handmade #wari #huari #wariculture #peru #andes #ancientamerica #precolumbian #prehispanic #ceremonial #ritualobject

Ritual funerary 'heads' masks
carved wood, ceramic, pigment, shell
600-1000 CE
Wari culture
Peru

#ritual #magic #funeral #mask #head #wariculture #peru #spiritual #religion #theliving #thedead #funerarymasks

La Cultura #Wariculture o Huari) fue una civilización andina preincaica, surgida en Perú alrededor del 600 d.C., que creó el primer imperio andino, destacando por su impresionante organización militar y administrativa, su avanzada arquitectura con redes de caminos (predecesores de los

La Cultura #Wariculture o Huari) fue una civilización andina preincaica, surgida en Perú alrededor del 600 d.C., que creó el primer imperio andino, destacando por su impresionante organización militar y administrativa, su avanzada arquitectura con redes de caminos (predecesores de los

This rare Wari freestanding figurine composed of intricate and densely patterned inlays of mother-of-pearl, purple and orange spondylus shell, mussel shell, turquoise, pyrite, greenstone, lapis lazuli, and silver (for the headdress) on a wood matrix. The torso is cloaked in a long ceremonial tunic decorated in an interlocking tapestry weave with three rows of a simplified and abstracted zoomorphic motif, which can be read as feline (jaguar or puma) heads or as standing llamas. The wearing of a court tapestry tunic identified one's rank in the Wari empire, and the emphasis on the elaborateness of this costume suggests that the figure represented was a dignitary of some status. In life, tunics were worn as ceremonial garb, and in death they were placed over the wearer's mummy bale. In shell and stone inlay, the complex textile patterns of the tunic are inevitably simplified. The corpus of Wari inlaid material is very small. This is the only known example of a freestanding figurine entirely covered in the inlaid shell technique. The refined craftsmanship and wide range of materials used in its manufacture indicate the presence in Wari society of an elite that could afford and appreciate such a luxury item, which probably served to convey the social status of the owner. In this piece, the greenstone arms are drilled at each shoulder, possibly for suspension as a pendant.

Standing Dignitary, Precolumbian, c. 600-1000, Kimbell Art Museum (Fort Worth, TX)

#ArtHistory #WariCulture

For more on Wari culture, see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wari_cu...

The #Wariculture (Spanish: Huari) were a Middle Horizon civilization that flourished in the south-central Andes and coastal area of modern-day Peru, from about 500 to 1000 AD.[1]

The #Wariculture (Spanish: Huari) were a Middle Horizon civilization that flourished in the south-central Andes and coastal area of modern-day Peru, from about 500 to 1000 AD.[1]

The #Wariculture (Spanish: Huari) were a Middle Horizon civilization that flourished in the south-central Andes and coastal area of modern-day Peru, from about 500 to 1000 AD.[1]

The #Wariculture (Spanish: Huari) were a Middle Horizon civilization that flourished in the south-central Andes and coastal area of modern-day Peru, from about 500 to 1000 AD.[1]