This is a red ware ceramic vessel with red and white paint. It is in the shape of a warrior kneeling on his left knee and grasping a war club with both hands. He wears a short skirt and a sleeveless shirt which are both fringed and spotted. On his head is an elaborate headdress worn over a head-cloth that includes a split jaguar skin band with head in front, legs at side and a tail pendant in the back. On the headdress is a deep bowl-shaped disc that projects on two sides of the warrior’s head. Rising from behind the jaguar head is a flat disc bearing a circle of twelve pellets. The headdress is supported by a strap over the head and held on by a tie under the chin.
This detailed object comes from Peru and may have been made between 200 BCE- 700 CE.
Penn Museum Object #39-20-9
See this and other objects like it in Penn Museum’s Online Collection Database.
