Sculptural bottle of a feline at rest

The Atarco style winged feline sometimes acquired a three-dimensional form by being finely molded in clay, as in the case of this bottle. The animal is in a stalking position and baring its fangs, traits that highlight its natural aggressiveness. Its body is decorated with circles and dots, distributed over its brown back, while the belly, its legs and the underside of the head have been painted in cream-colored tones. The presence of elongated reddish bands ending in white squares with dots inside is particularly striking. They could be interpreted as feathers projecting from the eyes and the nose, giving the creature a celestial personality. Likewise, a series of solid and dashed lines projected from beneath the eyes towards the snout are reminiscent of the famous tears of Tiahuanaco supernatural characters. (JR)