Blackware Whistling Vessel

This ceramic, blackware effigy jar was made by the Chimu people of Peru. The vessel comprises two jars connected together. One jar has a spout and is decorated with two fish motifs, and the other is in the form of a female figure with two horn headdresses and an elaborate costume with serrations, dots, and molding. The jar, with the figure, is personified as a spondylus shell. The theme of the vessel focuses on the ocean seen in the shell shape and fish motifs. The Chimu used molds for their ceramics and there are seams along the edges where the parts meet and made for ease of production. The raised dots are also characteristic of the Chimu. The blackware was a part of the representation of Chimu identity. Blackware was a difficult ceramic process that was reserved for works that would be used for state purposes. It would have been recognized by other cultures as Chimu even when they were later conquered. This type of vessel is unique to the Andean region. Commonly known as ‘Whistling Vessels,’ ceramics like this will whistle when water and air move through the different chambers. This double-chambered whistling vessel could have been used as a musical instrument.