Chorrera Ceramics

Chorrera Ceramics        Standing Figure, Chorrera culture, Ecuador, 10th–2nd century BCE, ceramic and slip, height 14 inches. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

    These ceramics are found in a region located in Ecuador. These sculptures would leave a significant imprint on future art found in the region. The Chorrera would be known for their depictions of the human body, and more specifically how they distinguished differences between male and female art pieces. Females were often depicted with accentuated curves. It is suspected many of the female figures were meant to represent fertility, but this is not known for sure.  The influences of these pieces were spread all throughout the Andes, likely due to trade routes found in the region. These pieces can be rather large, and with some measuring well over a foot tall. They also were usually made hollow. The art was often made with very simplified faces, but could form complex shapes and patterns throughout the rest of the piece. There was often jewelry associated with the art, as many of the pieces would be depicted with bracelts, earrings, or necklaces. The methods used to make this art were not only dedicated to sculptures however. There were plenty of cases where the art would take the form of a vase, or bowl. Sometimes there are instances where the two ideas are combined, with the figure of a person being hollowed out in the center to form the shape of a bowl. What makes these ceramics incredibly unique is the fate of the people who made them. Due to the vast geographical differences found in Ecuador,  volcanoes are plentiful in the country. It is believed that this is what caused the wipeout of the Chorrera people. This had mixed affects on the art, with a large portion of the culture being utterly destroyed. However, some of the art remains, and this has caused its value to increase drastically. Unfortunately, this has caused many people to resort to stealing and otherwise raiding sites of importance to the Chorreran people.

Sources:

Scher, Dr. Sarahh, and Dr. Sarahh Scher. “Chorrera Ceramics from Ecuador.” Smarthistory, https://smarthistory.org/chorrera-ceramics/.

Comments

  1. Maya's BlogNovember 12, 2021 at 8:30 AM

    You did a very good job on this post, you included very well thought of details about the pieces itself and the historical context that they hold. I didn't know that this area had a lot of volcanoes, and I think that may be important when we look at these pieces because they could have some symbolic importance that is reflected in their artwork. What are you thought on the possible use of volcanoes as symbolic inspirations?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Annabelle HollandbeckNovember 14, 2021 at 6:52 PM

    You did a really good job with explaining the background information. You also gave some cool facts that I found interesting. The description you gave of the ceramic piece was very good, I liked the way you described it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Delicia ApodacaNovember 15, 2021 at 2:30 PM

    Stephen, beautiful job going into detail about the piece overall. Let me just say the vocabulary was top notch, I felt as though I was reading a real critiques post! I'm not entirely sure which, but the ceramic reminds me of a sort of crystal. Outstanding job, no room for questions!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Emerald Buddha of the Siamese Empire

Image
       The Emerald Buddha Shown above is the Emerald Buddha, a statue that resides in Thailand and has been around since about 44 C.E. The legend of the statue is that it was made with a wish granting stone inside of it, and that the statue itself descended from the heavens. Despite the name, the statue is made with no emerald at all, except fro some small jewels dotting the clothes of the statue. The statue is primarily made of jade. It has been noted that the statue has spent time in a large amount of Southeast Asia, in nations such as India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and eventually modern day Thailand, where it has remained. Buddhism is still in fact practiced in Thailand, with the statues arrival marking a change of culture in the region. The form of Buddhism practiced in Thailand can actually be traced as one of the oldest and most original forms of Buddhism, with the teachings echoing those of the Buddha's own dharma, or decrees. The most interesting thing about the...
Read more

The Dome of the Rock Analysis

Image
 The Dome of the Rock Qubbat al-Sakhra, otherwise known as the Dome of the Rock, is an Islamic structure constructed in the early days of the creation of Islam, and is considered to be one of the first buildings constructed by the religion. The building is located in what would be known as Old Jerusalem, and is located upon the highest point in the region. The Dome of the Rock was completed in the year 691 AD, some 60 years after the death of the prophet Mohammad. In between these two points in time, Islam there was warfare between the first early Arab armies, and the Holy City of Jerusalem. The Arabic armies won this conflict, and then constructed the Dome of the Rock. The exact purpose of the building is unknown, as it was not used as a mosque, but there is deep religious significance to the building. There is a rock at the center of the building, for which the building received its namesake, and is believed to have been the rock that Abraham would have sacrificed his son Isaac o...
Read more