Stirrup Jar vessel with decoration Nazca, Peru, c. 100 - 700 AD MATERIAL: Terracotta and pigments. SIZE: 13 cm diameter and 16 cm height PROVENANCE: Private collection, France, formed before 1980. Spanish Import License. CONDITION: Good, only two breaklines rejoined, see photos. All pigment original. The ceramic vessels of the Nazca culture, which developed on the southern coast of present-day Peru between the 1st and 7th centuries AD, are one of the most remarkable examples of pre-Columbian Andean art. These pieces stand out for their technique, colorfulness, and symbolic complexity, reflecting the worldview and ritual practices of a deeply spiritual people. Nazca artisans made their vessels from fine clay and modeled them by hand, without a potter's wheel, achieving varied shapes such as globular bottles, bowls, and jugs with double spouts and bridge handles. They then applied a wide range of mineral pigments, which could reach up to twelve different colors. The figures were painted before firing, using the post-firing negative painting technique, which gave the ceramics a bright and durable appearance. Decorative motifs included mythological beings, animals, plants, trophy heads, and human figures, often depicted in ritual scenes or related to fertility and water, essential elements in the arid Nazca environment. More than just utilitarian objects, ceramic vessels served a ceremonial function, used in offerings and burials. These masterpieces reveal the deep connection between art, religion, and nature in Nazca culture, one of the most fascinating of ancient Peru.