128
Peru Carved Gourds


- 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.