Paracas/Nazca Vessel in the Form of a Monkey

The monkey figures prominently in the iconography of Ancient Peru. In some instances, the creatures are depicted with charming naturalism; in others they are held up as comic mirrors of human activity. For the Nazca of the South Coast, the monkey God was a fierce and powerful deity, responsible for maintaining the balance of the cosmos. This delightful vessel, from the transitional period between the Paracas and Nazca styles, shows a plump-seated monkey holding an offering cup. Though his curling tale and ears identify him as a monkey, there is an appealing human quality about him. The pleasure he brings us bridges the centuries, uniting us momentarily with the vanished world that created him.