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Home , 16th century, 4th century BC, Pacific Coast of Mexico

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3 0620 00833838"" 5 The Art of Ancient and

A Loan Exhibition from The Metropolitan Museum of Art made possible by a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts

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THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

3 0620 00794349 0 ft of Ancient Mexico and Peru

A Loan Exhibition from The Metropolitan Museum of Art made possible by a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts

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The Art of Ancient Mexico and Peru

The first great art of the ancient American continents was made about 1000 B.C. in the countries known today as Mexico and Peru. The of Mexico and the Chavin peoples of Peru were thinkers and artists of inventive genius, who influenced both their contemporaries and descendants. Their descendants, of course, varied in language, culture, social complexity, and artistic ability. They flourished for , separated from the events of the by the vast expanses of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The peoples of the had been isolated since about 10,000 B.C. when the land bridge, over which they had crossed from , had disappeared with the rising waters of the Bering Sea. Their isolation ended in 1492 when landed on the small island of San Salvador in the Bahamas. 1. Figure, possibly a dwarf* Stone; H. 5Vs" Mexican (Olmec); 12th-8th Beginning about 1200 B.C., the Olmecs lived in the coastal swamps of centuties B.C. the in the adjacent states of Veracruz and Tabasco. The Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979 Olmecs are known principally as sculptors, although they were also 1979.206.827 very able potters. Among their stone sculptures are a number of small, dwarf-like figures of unknown significance. Possibly they are part of the 2. Two bowls, possibly for paint so-called were-jaguar complex, a group of mythologically important Ceramic; L. 6", 4%" beings, part human and part feline. The Olmecs favored ceramics of Mexican (Olmec); 12th- 8th blacks, whites, and grays. Many come from areas other than the Gulf centuries B.C. Coast homeland, an area too wet for ready preservation of ceramics. The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection of Primitive Other Olmec art has also been found in places far from the Gulf Art, Gift of Arthur M. Bullowa, 1974 Coast—a testimony to the considerable political, as well as artistic, 1978.412.263, 264 importance of this early Mexican people.

3. Bowl Ceramic; Dm. IOVB" Mexican (Olmec); 12th-8th centuries B.C. Gift of Arthur M. Bullowa, 1979 1979.205.1

. _ • 4. Female figure Ceramic; H. 8%" Mexican (Nayarit); 1st-3rd centuries and Nayarit, two states along the Pacific Coast of Mexico, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, have given their names to large groups of tomb objects from their 1979 respective areas. The objects are found in multi-burial shaft tombs 1979.206.701 dating from about the second B.C. through the fourth century A.D. The ceramics of Colima, frequently vessels in sculptural shapes, 5. Vessel in the form of an animal* are the most appealing, and they exist in a wide variety of type and Ceramic; L. 7%" image. A greater degree of stylization is common to Nayarit ceramics, Mexican (Nayarit); 1st-3rd centuries particularly in the human figures. Guerrero, also on the Pacific Coast, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller has a more complex ancient history than its neighbors. It is noted for 1979 small-scale sculpture in various kinds of green stones. 1979.206.338

6. Female figure Ceramic; H. 61/s" Mexican (Colima); 1st-3rd centuries Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller 1979 1979.206.1000

7. Vessel in the form of a hunchback Ceramic; H. 11" Mexican (Colima); Museum Accession X.2.431

8. Tripod vessel Ceramic; H. 9Vs" Mexican (Colima); 1st-3rd centuries Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979 1979.206.350

9. Frog Stone; L. 2%" Mexican (Guerrero); 1st-3rd centuries Purchase, 1900 00.51242 10. Head wearing animal-snout mask (from a figure) * 5 Ceramic; H. 14 /s" Veracruz, the narrow Gulf Coast state, produced an amazing variety of Mexican (Veracruz); 4th- 7th centuries objects during its long history. Artistic output was high during the mid- Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, late first A.D., producing some of the most detailed ceramic 1979 sculpture ever to be fired in ancient Mexico, and numerous stone 1979.206.576 objects thought to be related to the ceremonial ballgame. These latter objects include hachas (axes), so-named because of their axe-like 11. Hacha in the form of a bird shape. The exact use to which these objects was put is conjectural. head Whistles, in various ceramic shapes, were made throughout ancient Stone; H. 6VB" Mexico. The frog whistle shown here has a particularly deep and Mexican (Veracruz); 6th-9th centuries impressive sound. Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979 1979.206.369

12. Whistle in the form of a frog Ceramic; L. 5%" Mexican (Veracruz); 6th-9th centuries The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection of Primitive Art, Gift of Mrs. Gertrud A. Mellon, 1969 1978.412.233 13. Female figure* Ceramic; H. IVt," Mexican (Maya); 7th-8th Maya artistic fame rests chiefly on the art of the seventh and eighth centuries centuries of the southern Maya lowlands, an area primarily located Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979 in 's Peten district. Ceramic vessels and figures, jade 1979.206.373 ornaments, and objects of bone, flint, and shell all come from Maya tombs. The simply-shaped ceramic vessels with painted scenes 14. Vessel with figures wearing give invaluable insight into ancient ways. Many important rituals, few bird (?) masks completely understood today, are depicted on the vessels. Much of Ceramic; H. 7%" the of this time was built for the ruling dynasties, and the Mexican or Guatemalan (Maya); sculpture that decorates the palaces and the temples often deals Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, with the exploits of particular rulers. Ceremonies necessary for the 1979 maintenance of power also appear frequently in relief sculpture. 1979.206.1122

15. Rubbing of a lintel with an enthroned ruler Lintel: limestone; 35" x 35" Mexican or Guatemalan (Maya); 8th century Rubbing by Merle Greene, 1967: Ink on rice paper; 341/2" x 341/2" The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection of Primitive Art, Gift of Merle Greene Robertson, 1967 Inst. 1978.10.7 16. Goddess with 7 Serpent glyph* Stone; H. 13V2" The Aztecs ruled much of Mexico at the time of the Spanish Conquest Mexican (Aztec); 14th-16th in the sixteenth century. They were aggressive, opportunistic warriors centuries Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, who built their capital city, Tenochtitlan, in the middle of Lake Texcoco 1979 in the large Basin of Mexico. As Aztec power grew, so did their city; 1979.206.407 temples and palaces were meant to impress both friend and foe. A great deal of stone sculpture made during Aztec times was used not 17. God, possibly of wind only in Tenochtitlan, but also in temples and shrines throughout Aztec 1 Stone; H. 12 /2" dominated Mexico. Many of the sculptures were deity figures. The Mexican (Aztec); 14th-16th Aztecs had an enormously complex polytheistic religion, reflected in centuries Purchase, 1900 their series of deity images. Many of these images were painted and 00.5.50 for special occasions embellished by the addition of paper ornaments. Today, the identification of specific gods and goddesses can often be 18. Figure with wrinkled face difficult because of this complexity of deity images, and the absence of Stone; H.9V2" adornments. Mexican (Aztec); 14th-16th centuries Purchase, 1900 m 00.5.55 19. Figure, possibly a cherub* Stone; H. 9%" Mexican (Colonial); After the Conquest of Mexico by the in the early sixteenth Purchase, 1900 century, the invaders were particularly interested in destroying the 00.5.77 native religion. Aztec religion, its emphasis on human sacrifice, was particularly abhorrent to sixteenth-century Christians. Aztec temples and gods were destroyed and Catholic churches appeared in their place. To build the many churches necessary during the early of colonization, the Spaniards employed native artisans and stone masons. In doing so, European and Aztec artistic traditions interacted. This figure, for instance, depicting a chubby, curly-haired, active child, perhaps a cherub, is clearly not Aztec in its imagery, but it is fashioned in the Aztec manner. It was carved in stone, covered with lime plaster to give it a smooth surface, and then probably painted. Remnants of the white lime plaster are visible on the figure. 20. Monkey stirrup-spout vessel* Ceramic; H. 11 Va" Peruvian (Chavin); 7th—5th The Chavin era of Peru, dating to about the turn of the first millennium centuries B.C. Harris Brisbane Dick and B.C., is named for its major temple compound located near Chavin Fletcher Funds, 1967 de Huantar in the northern central highlands of the Peruvian Andes. 67.239.6 A great many of the Chavin objects known today, mostly ceramic vessels, come from burials in the coastal valleys of Chicama, Moche, 21. Bowl and Jequetepeque. Often depicting animals, they are sculptural forms Ceramic; Dm. 7%" with pleasingly finished surfaces. The art of Chavin had a profound Peruvian (Paracas); 7th-3rd effect on many other areas of Peru, most notably the southern coast. centuries B.C. Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, The name given to these southern works, Paracas, is from the 1979 peninsula on which many have been found. 1979.206.388 22. Border fragment Embroidered wool; 10%" x 2%" Peruvian (Paracas); The southern coast of Peru, between the waters of the Pacific and the B.C. Gift of George D. Pratt, 1933 abrupt rise of the Andes, is very narrow and extremely dry. Perishable 33.149.16 organic materials, such as wood, gourd, bone, and , have survived there in a greater quantity than anywhere else in Peru. Among 23. Mantle fragment the most famous that have come from the southern burials, are Embroidered wool; 14%" x 9%" those of the Paracas Peninsula. Beginning about 500 B.C., Paracas Peruvian (Paracas); textiles take mainly the form of garments—mantles, tunics, and the 5th century B.C. like—decorated with elaborate embroidery. Many of the embroidered Gift of George D. Pratt, 1933 areas have survived while the garments they adorned have not. 33.149.8 Paracas embroideries are extremely rich in color and inventive in image. The earliest embroideries are the most geometric in design; 24. Textile fragment Embroidered wool; 1815/ie" x 4" later textiles are more astonishing in their combinations of color. Peruvian (Paracas); 5th—4th centuries B.C. Gift of George D. Pratt, 1933 33.149.43

25. Border fragment* Embroidered wool; M's/i^xSVz" Peruvian (Paracas); B.C. Gift of George D. Pratt, 1933 33.149.15

26. Neck opening (from a tunic?) Embroidered wool; 14%"x3,1/i6" Peruvian (Paracas); 4th century B.C. Gift of George D. Pratt, 1933 33.149.20

27. Border fragment Embroidered wool; 28V4" x 6" Peruvian (Paracas); 4th-3rd centuries B.C. Gift of George D. Pratt, 1933 33.149.28 28. Figure holding disc and goblet* Ceramic; H. 5%" During much of the first millennium A.D., the northern coast of Peru Peruvian (Moche); 3rd-6th centuries was dominated by the Moche, an artistically gifted group whose Gift of Nathan Cummings, 1964 capital was in the Moche valley. The Mochica, as the people are also 64.228 58 known, favored stirrup-spout vessels with modeled or painted chambers. The so-called portrait-head vessels are noted for their 29. Ornaments in the form of clubs careful realism, and the painted vessels for the complex, active scenes Stone; H. each %", (stringing depicted on them. Studies of Mochica iconography have illuminated modern) many of the themes which consistently appear in Moche art. The Peruvian (Moche); 3rd-6th centuries bewildering number of plants, animals, humans and deities—and their Gift of Nathan Cummings, 1964 various combinations—take on specific roles in an ordered Moche 64.228.196 universe.

30. Stirrup-spout vessel with crab demons Ceramic; H. IOV2" Peruvian (Moche); 4th-6th centuries Gift of Nathan Cummings, 1967 67.167.5

31. Portrait head stirrup-spout vessel Ceramic; H. lOV Peruvian (Moche); 4th—6th centuries Museum Accession X.2.231

10 32. Whistling jar with two felines and a parrot Ceramic; H. 7" After 1000 A.D., the Chimu controlled much the same area of the Peruvian (Lambayeque); 12th —14th centuries northern Peruvian coast that had earlier been in the hands of the The Michael C. Rockefeller Mochica. They extended their dominion further north into the five Memorial Collection of Primitive valleys that make up the Lambayeque region, but the principal Chimu Art, Gift of John Wise, 1956 center was at Chan Chan in the Moche Valley. Chan Chan was an 1978.412.3 adobe city composed of huge, walled, royal compounds. The compounds, consisting of palace, storehouse, and mausoleum, were 33. Niche figure* basically exclusive and private in nature. Entrances were few and Wood; H. 285/16" difficult to find, and long corridors and devious turnings protected the Peruvian (Chimu); 12th-14th centuries living and the dead, and their riches. Along some of these corridors Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, were a series of wooden figures set in niches, perhaps as silent 1979 sentinels guarding the passageways. 1979.206.774

11 34. Tunic* Wool and cotton; 23Vz" x 30V' Peruvian (Central Coast?); 12th-14th centuries Ancient Peruvian textiles are among the most colorful fabrics Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, remaining from the ancient world. Wool from highland alpacas and 1979 llamas, and cotton grown in lower-lying areas were used extensively 1979.206.588 for fabrics made in a great number of techniques. Peruvian fabrics were loomed to size; each part was made on the loom to the exact size 35. Tunic and shape required. No edges were cut and only finished selvages Wool and cotton; 21%" x 33" were sewn together. The tunics shown here are sewn only at the sides Peruvian (Inca); Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, and up the middle, where an opening is left at the neck. Such tunics, 1979 worn by men, were usually the most elaborate part of their costume. 1979.206.954 The rest of the costume consisted of a loincloth and mantle. A turban or hat, and a small bag used as a "pocket," would complete the outfit. (NOTE: No. 35 will be exhibited April 14-October 4,1981; No. 34 from October 6-May 2,1982.)

12 36. Storage jar* Ceramic; H. 11%" Peruvian (Inca); 15th-16th centuries The Incas came from the southern highlands of Peru and were a Gift of Nathan Cummings, 1966 tough, austere, mountain people. Their art was spare and lean; they 66.30.6 had greater interest in utility than in ornament. Their ceramics clearly reflect this as useful shapes replace the sculptural forms of earlier 37. Two dishes ceramic vessels. The Incas had dominated all of civilized South 7 Ceramic; Dm. 3 /i6", 3%" America for less than a hundred years, but their rule was brief. The Peruvian (Inca); 15th-16th Spaniards arrived in the and destroyed their empire. In the centuries Gift of Nathan Cummings, 1966 Americas, the technology of metal working is thought to have begun in 66.30.7,8 Peru and the custom of making cast-copper "knives" in specialized shapes with ornamented tops was at least a thousand years old when 38. Dish with bird-head handle the ornamented knives exhibited here were fashioned. Ceramic; Dm. 4" Peruvian (Inca); 15th-16th centuries Gift of Nathan Cummings, 1966 66.30.10

39. Dish with bird-head handle Ceramic; Dm. 3%" Peruvian (Inca); 15th-16th centuries Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979 1979.206.1008

40. Ornamented knife with two figures Copper; H. 5%" Peruvian (Inca); 15th-16th centuries Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979 1979.206.415

41. Ornamented knife with man and animal Copper; H. 5W' Peruvian (Inca); 15th-16th centuries Museum Accession 13 X.2.483 42. Whistling jar with bird* Ceramic; H. 5%" Peruvian (Colonial); 16th century After the Conquest, in Peru as in Mexico, Indian customs were Museum Accession X.2.292 relentlessly surpressed. For a short time certain indigenous traditions managed to continue but few, if any, did so unchanged. One of the more engaging aspects of the "collision of cultures" that Spanish colonization of the represented, can be seen in objects such as this double spouted jar with a bird atop one spout. Made in a traditional pre-Conquest Peruvian shape, complete with whistle (compare it to No. 32, an earlier vessel with bird and whistle), it has a glazed surface. Glazing, the technique by means of which a thin coat of glass is fired onto the ceramic surface, was not used in the Americas until it was introduced by the Spaniards.

14 Bibliography

Richard E. W. Adams, Prehistoric Mesoamerica (Boston, 1977) Center for Inter-American Relations, Aztec Stone Sculpture (New York, 1976) Michael D. Coe, America's First Civilization (New York, 1968) Lords of the Underworld. Masterpieces of Classic Maya Ceramics (Princeton, 1978) The Maya Scribe and his World (New York, 1973) Christopher B. Donnan, Moche Art of Peru. Pre-Columbian Symbolic Communication (Los Angeles, 1978) Elizabeth Kennedy Easby and John F Scott, Before Cortes. Sculpture of Middle America (New York, 1970) Merle Greene, Robert L. Rands and John A. Graham, Maya Sculpture from the Southern Lowlands, Highland and Pacific Piedmont (Berkeley, 1972) Paul Kosok, Life, Land and Water in Ancient Peru (New York, 1965) George Kubler, Art and Architecture of Ancient America (New York, 1975) Alan Lapiner, Pre-Columbian Art of (New York, 1976) Luis G. Lambreras, trans. Betty J. Meggars, The Peoples and Cultures of Ancient Peru (Washington, D.C, 1976) Michael E. Moseley, Peru's Golden Treasures (Chicago, 1978) William F Prescott, History of the Conquest of Mexico and History of the Conquest of Peru (New York, 1936) Ann Pollard Rowe, Elizabeth P. Benson, and Anne-Louise Schaffer, editors, The Junius B. Bird Pre-Columbian Textile Conference (Washington, D.C, 1979) Alan R. Sawyer, Ancient Peruvian Ceramics. The Nathan Cummings Collection (New York and Greenwich, 1966) J. Eric S. Thompson, Maya Hieroglyphs without Tears (, 1972) Maya History and Religion (Norman, 1970) Gordon R. Wil ley, An Introduction to American Archaeology, Volume I. North and Middle America (Englewood Cliffs, 1966) An Introduction to American Archaeology, Volume II. South America (Englewood Cliffs, 1971) Hasso von Winning, Pre-Columbian Art of Mexico and (New York, 1968) Catalogue design by Sue Koch Exhibition coordinators: Julie Jones, Curator, Department of Primitive Art, and Linda Lovell, Associate Educator, Department of Public Education

Staff of The Metropolitan Museum of Art who assisted with the exhibition are Raymond Cusie, Edmund R Dandridge, Jeffrey Daly, Kathleen Eilertsen, Francesca Fleming, Elizabeth H. Flinn, Joan K. Holt, Ellen Howe, Nobuko Kajitani, Marceline McKee, Herbert M. Moskowitz, Robert Press, W. L. Schonfeld, Catherine Sease, Constance R Wiesman, and Robert Young, and their cooperation is gratefully acknowledged.

Objects illustrated in the catalogue are marked with an asterisk.

On the cover: No. 1978.412.3

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