Chavin Blackware Stirrup Vessel in the Form of a Temple, 1200 BCE - 600 CE
Terracotta
9.5
K.099
Further images
With the serene simplicity of a Japanese lantern, this Chavin vessel represents a circular building, either a temple or a tomb. Is this abstract structure modeled after an earthly building,...
With the serene simplicity of a Japanese lantern, this Chavin vessel represents a circular building, either a temple or a tomb. Is this abstract structure modeled after an earthly building, or does it evoke a cosmic home, vast as the heavens themselves? Are human beings meant to climb its pyramidal steps, or are these intended for the footsteps of gods? From such clues as this, surviving when the larger structure is lost, we gain a fascinating glimpse into a vanished world.