Darkware Vessel (900–1470): Art, History and Details

Darkware Vessel (900–1470) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Under the Chimú, ceramic seems to have been a less important artistic medium than for earlier north coast cultures. Accordingly, ceramics were mass produced with molds and, rather than bearing painted scenes, often have an overall dark surface achieved by firing in a smoky atmosphere.

Object facts

• Title: Darkware Vessel
• Date: 900–1470
• Culture: Peru, North Coast, Chimú style (900-1470)
• Type: Ceramic
• Technique: black ware
• Dimensions: Overall: 20 x 10.3 x 16.6 cm (7 7/8 x 4 1/16 x 6 9/16 in.)
• Collection: AA - Andes
• Department: Art of the Americas
• Accession number: 1951.181

A detail from the museum

Chimú potters fired their vessels in a reduced-oxygen atmosphere to achieve a uniform black surface.

Collection credit

The Norweb Collection

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.