In 1943 workers digging near the Peruvian village of La Victoria found eight ceramic jars, each featuring a portrait face on its neck. The jars, which are some of the finest ceremonial pottery produced by the coastal Huari (Wari) culture, contained ninety‑ six feathered panels like this one.

The pre-Hispanic goldwork of Colombia is traditionally classified by archaeological zones, or regions, each with stylistic associations, varying in iconography and technology: Calima, Quimbaya, Tolima, and Nariño in the southwest; Zenú (Sinú) and Tairona in northwestern Colombia; and Muisca in the central highlands southeast of Bogotá. 

The pre-Hispanic goldwork of Colombia is traditionally classified by archaeological zones, or regions, each with stylistic associations, varying in iconography and technology: Calima, Quimbaya, Tolima, and Nariño in the southwest; Zenú (Sinú) and Tairona in northwestern Colombia; and Muisca in the central highlands southeast of Bogotá. The Calima re

In the funerary bundles recovered from Paracas burials, layer upon layer of handwoven garments wrapped each body. The largest and most impressive of the Paracas textiles is the mantle, which was worn as a shoulder cloth. In this example, two pieces of dark blue cloth were seamed together to form the ground cloth, onto which red squares and a wide, bird‑patterned border were embroidered.

Born in Paris, France, Maurice de Vlaminck was a mechanic, journalist, musician, and professional bicyclist before embarking on a successful career as a painter. He began to teach himself painting as a teenager and befriended fellow artist André Derain in 1900 when they were both in the military. In 1901, the pair attended a Vincent Van Gogh exhibition in Paris.

Paracas musical instruments are rare, yet music almost certainly figured in Paracas religious festivals. The sounds of ceramic trumpets such as this one may have accompanied these celebrations. The remarkable length of this instrument must have necessitated either an extra person or a brace to support it when it was played.

The name Paracas (para-ako) means “sand falling like rain” in the indigenous Quechua language, highlighting the harsh desert environment. Despite the stark conditions, the Paracas culture developed a vibrant polychrome visual tradition in their textiles, ceramics, and other visual arts.

The deserts of Peru’s Paracas peninsula, whose name means “sand falling like rain,” have preserved fragile objects deposited in cemeteries there some two thousand years ago.

The body of this unusual vessel appears to be the torso of a human figure with its arms thrown to the back. A multi-headed serpentine form encircles the body.