Spouted Vessel Modeled as a Balsa-Reed Boat

Flourishing from about 800 to 1470 n the north coast of Peru, the Chimu were the main rivals of the more famous Inca, by whom they were conquered shortly before the Spanish arrived. The Chimu had a complex cultural and social structure, including skills in media such as pottery, weaving, and metalwork. Chimu ceramic vessels, able to withstand the passage of time and the ravages of burial, are among the most common artifacts that still survive today.

Though most Chimu blackware is of indifferent quality because it was mass-produced, the Art Museum’s vessel stands out as a sculptural masterpiece. It charms through gesture and personality, its simple form, and the artist's direct treatment of the subject.

The body of the vessel is a boat similar to the tule boats still in use in Peru today. The vessel is mold-made, as are the three figures, the arched handle, the spout, and the ring, which were attached by hand to the boat. The whole vessel is finely finished and burnished to a lustrous black glow. Some experts have attributed the piece to the Lambayeque culture of the north coast; according to a legend from that culture, the first king of the Lambayeque people reached the area in a reed boat.