Vessel with Oculate Being

Description

A supernatural creature known today as the Oculate Being, after its huge eyes, became prominent late in Paracas times. The Paracas left no written records and this creature's meaning is poorly apprehended, but it clutches a severed human head by the hair. A hint of the head's significance comes from the Oculate Being itself, whose head sprouts streamers that may represent abstract energy or force. The severed head cult, then, may have aimed at capturing and redirecting this energy. (Other Paracas objects appear nearby.)

Provenance

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Vessel with Oculate Being

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300 BCE–1 CE

Accession Number

1998.70

Medium

earthenware with resin-based paint

Dimensions

Overall: 40.8 cm (16 1/16 in.)

Classification

Ceramic

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund