Skip to main content
© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University.  Photo by Michael McKelvey.
Plate with Pair of Anchovies
© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University.  Photo by Michael McKelvey.
© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University. Photo by Michael McKelvey.
© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University. Photo by Michael McKelvey.
ClassificationsArt of the Americas

Plate with Pair of Anchovies

Place CreatedPeru, South America
CultureNasca
Date1-650 CE
MediumCeramic
Credit LineGift of William C. and Carol W. Thibadeau
Dimensions2 3/8 x 9 in. (6 x 22.8 cm)
Object number1989.008.088
Label TextThe prolific potters of the South Coast Nasca culture created tens of thousands of vessels between AD 1 and 700. They depicted humans and supernatural figures and even experimented with the styles of other cultures' styles. However, perhaps most often they immortalized animals and plants. The reasons for this choice of subject matter are environmental and spiritual. The Nasca inhabited a very inhospitable area of dry plains and low hills, with little water and sandy soil. They were farmers who attempted to support themselves despite the environment. Images of fish from the nearby coast show an interest in the few protein sources available.
Exhibition HistoryMCCM Permanent Collection Galleries, May 11,1993 - April 1996
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, September 13, 2002 - June 2012
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, February 9, 2013 - March 13, 2019
MCCM Permanent Collection Galleries, July 2, 2019 - Present
Published ReferencesRebecca Stone-Miller, Seeing With New Eyes: Highlights of the Michael C. Carlos Museum Collection of Art of the Ancient Americas (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2002), 236, figure 534.
ProvenanceEx coll. William (1920-2002) and Carol (1921-2019) Thibadeau, Atlanta, Georgia, purchased February 1981.
Status
On view
Collections
  • Art of the Americas