Bottle 1400 - 1532

0:00

ceramic

figuration

ceramic

indigenous-americas

Dimensions: 7 7/8 x 8 1/2 x 4 3/16 in. (20 x 21.59 x 10.64 cm)

This double-chambered bottle was crafted by the Inca people. It features a dog perched atop one of the spouts, and human eyes on the conjoined base. Consider the dog, a symbol of loyalty, guidance, and protection across cultures. In ancient Greece, Cerberus guarded the gates to the Underworld, and in ancient Egypt, jackals were associated with mummification and the afterlife. The presence of the dog atop the bottle might suggest its use in rituals connecting the earthly and spiritual realms. Note how the human eyes on the vessel evoke a sense of watchfulness, perhaps representing ancestral spirits or deities, their gaze connecting the temporal and spiritual dimensions. The symbol of the dog has traversed time and space, continually adapting, yet retaining its fundamental connection to protection and the journey beyond.

Comments

minneapolisinstituteofart over 1 year ago

⋮

This bottle has two chambers in the form of stylized potatoes, a staple of the Andean diet for at least 8000 years. In Quechua, the language of the Inka, kawsay or "food for all" is the word for potato, referencing its essential function as a source of nourishment for the vast Inka Empire. Each chamber is topped with a spout; a bridge connects the two. When the bottle was tipped to force liquid back and forth between the chambers, an intentional whistling sound was produced.