DISCOVERART

Unknown ceramist

Penguin Vessel

350–500 CE
Ceramic and pigment
20.8 × 14.3 cm (8.2 × 5.6 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

This vessel, with its tiny, sculpted wings, is a rare depiction of a Humboldt penguin ( Spheniscus humboldti ) in Nasca art. Although Nasca peoples lived in a tropical desert, the adjacent waters of the Pacific Ocean are extremely cold due to the Humboldt Current, which flows northward from Antarctica. Since ancient times, the frigid sea has allowed colonies of penguins to thrive at the equator; but their numbers are now dwindling, and the species is considered vulnerable to extinction.

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