Stirrup Jar vessel with toad form Nazca, Peru, c. 200 - 600 AD MATERIAL: Terracotta and pigments. SIZE: 10,5 cm diameter and 8,5 cm height PROVENANCE: Private collection, France, 1960. Spanish Export License,. CONDITION: Good, intact, only one foot broken, see photos. 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.