The Chimu Ceramics is one of the main types of art manufactured by Native Americans of the same name. Chimú was a pre-Incan culture that lived between the years 900 and 1300 in the now territory known as Peru.
Iconography and form are the most outstanding aspects of Chimu art, but as far as ceramics are concerned, it is also notable for its unusual shades.
You may also be interested in Chimu metallurgy .
Characteristics of Chimu Metallurgy
- Color
The most outstanding element of the Chimu pottery is its bright black color, unusual in works based on clay and clay.
To achieve this they used a humid technique, which they applied after having polished the pieces.
However, artists of the time also made pieces with brown and red tones, colors typical of their raw material, clay and clay.
Also, especially in the Chimú settlement located in the Moche Valley, there were pieces with light colors.
In some special vessels for ceremonies you can see adornments and details painted in light tones and bright colors.
- Iconography
It emphasizes the realism of his works, in which they portrayed human figures, animals, fruits, mythological elements and to a lesser extent utensils like spears, ceremonial daggers and agricultural tools.
Human Figures
Basically representations of the activities of the daily life of the Chimu man.
The sowing and gathering are very present, as well as the erotic portraits, which represent the only appearance of the indigenous woman, with the exception of a smaller number of works portraying the Chimú family.
There is an important compendium of works that stand out for their level of detail, they show warriors, priests and chiefs; with weapons and ceremonial elements in their hands. For this reason it is believed that the Chimu were a culture with a clear division of classes.
Fruits
These ceramic vessels were a cult of agriculture and a constant request to the gods for water, since the characteristics of the soil the water resource was scarce.
Pumpkins, plums and guanabas are by far the most portrayed and sculpted fruits. Beyond being present in the Chimu diet, the special emphasis on these fruits is unknown.
Animals
The most constant mammals are llamas, felines and monkeys; all animals of habitats distant to the coast, which is less curious, since the Chimú inhabited mostly coastal regions.
They also made representations of birds, fish and other sea creatures.
Mythology
Moon and Sun were their most present gods, but it is not easy to appreciate a clear appearance. The presence of anthropomorphism and the adherence of other totems make this difficult.
- Shape
The vessels were globular in their majority, form that gave them of greater surface to express itself better by means of the low relief.
Likewise, they had a handle mainly located at the top, and a neck or beak.
History
As in other contemporary cultures, ceramics emerged in the Chimu for function purposes.
The vessels were used in their burials and spiritual ceremonies. This was followed by the domestic use of ceramic works.
There are influences of cultures that preceded them and to which they were in conflict, especially Mochicas and lambayeques.
Of the group of the first they inherited the realism, although in a minor degree. This was because it was a larger society and therefore the artisans had to work more, lowering the"quality"of their product.
Through ceramic art they tell the story of how their culture was increasingly divided hierarchically. The Chimu culture disappeared at the hand of the Incas, who defeated them in battle.
Today his art is found in several museums of Peru and Spain, being the most representative the Museum of America, located in Madrid.
Bibliography
- Dillehay, T., & Netherly, P.J. (1998). The Border of the Inca State. Quito: Editorial Abya Yala.
- National Institute of Culture (Peru). (1985). Magazine of the National Museum. Lima: National Institute of Culture.
- Martínez de la Torre, M.C. (1988). Iconographic themes of Chimu ceramics. Madrid: National University of Distance Education.
- Martínez, C. (1986). Prehispanic Ceramics Norperuana: Study of Chimu Ceramics from the Collection of the Museum of America in Madrid, Part 2. Madrid: B.A.R.
- Oliden Sevillano, C. R. (1991). Chimu pottery in Huaca Verde. Trujillo: National University of Trujillo.