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Peru Carved Gourds

Peru Carved Gourds
Map
  • Country: Peru
  • Source: Field collected in Peru in 1998
  • Size (cm): 13
  • Material: Gourd and ash dyes

For more than 4,500 years, Peru has been home to gourd artists. The types of decoration on these gourds include scratching on the outer shell, fine-line hatching, and a combination of pyroengraving and carving.
Gourd images provide a fascinating historical record of many features of daily life through the centuries. Religious ceremonies and beliefs, political events and social activities are all illustrated in exquisite detail on gourds.