Ancient ceramics always make me think of stories and wonder what tales were told long long ago. This exquisite cup was made by an artesian in the Wari Culture sometime between 500 – 1000 AD. The culture lived in what we now think of as Peru. The Wari had a very distinctive style of architecture, a road system and clearly influenced surrounding cultures at the time. The cup depicts a sea lion with the mouth being a pour spout. Among other beverages the Wari drank a beer called chicha made from fermented maize, manioc, potatoes, or other fruits and vegetables. You could drink from the cup or the sea lion mouth! Even though this cup always makes me think of the Selkies, it is clearly the image of a sea lion. Seals do not have external ears. Sadly scholars cannot find evidence of a written language; but what wonderful stories their ceramics must be telling us.
Vessels of Story by Kathy Eastman
3 responses to “Vessels of Story by Kathy Eastman”
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Very interesting description of a drinking vessel. Just imagine the stories that cup could give us as we take a sip from it. It contains so much more than water!
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Imagine if you had that cup in your hands. What would your be? Where would your story be shared? and what would your cup contain.
James -
Art indeed tells us so much about a culture! I just wish we could get the whole story of a piece. We might think they made these cups just because they were a bit of wimsey, when in reality they were sacred…or the other way around. What impresses me is the quality of the piece and the artists true depiction of the sea lion!
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