378 Philip Ainsworth Means, 



We will first discuss the matter of forms in Cuzco (i. e. Inca) 

 pottery before taking up that of decorative motifs. First comes 

 the stately aryballus, at once the most typical Cuzco form and 

 the most universally adopted one wherever Inca power pene- 

 trated. Our Plate XIIT shows two good examples of this type. 

 There are several sub-types of aryballi. A tentative classifica- 

 tion is to be offered later. Next in order of frequency of occur- 

 rence come the beaker type, shown in Plate XV, Figure 2, the 

 pelike type, Plate XIV, Figure i, the bowl, dish and numerous 

 other forms. 



In the matter of decoration we find that the geometric figures 

 are in a large majority over anthropomorphic or zoomorphic 

 ones. At the same time, modelled ornament, save for the uni- 

 versal cat's-head nubbin, is found to be essentially foreign to 

 Inca pottery. It does occur, of course, but it is an extraneous 

 element. (Plate XIV, Figure 3; Plate XV, Figures 3 and 4.) 

 By far the greater part of Inca pottery decorations are made 

 up of combinations of a comparatively small number of motifs. 

 We will describe several of these. One of the most widespread 

 is that seen in Plate XIII, Figure i. An old Indian at Cuzco 

 told the writer that the design represented a conventionalized 

 quipu or knot-record and that the design was applied particularly 

 to the vessels of the quipucamayoc who looked after the quipus. 

 Without accepting this as an absolute fact, we will call this 

 design the "quipu-motif." Another frequently seen motif is the 

 meander (Plate XIII, Figure 2). A third is the lines-and- 

 cross motif (Plate XIV, Figure i). A fourth we will call the 

 "diamond motif" (Plate XIV, Figure 3). A fifth might be 

 described as the "saw-tooth motif" (Plate XIV, Figure 3). 

 There are numerous other motifs that might be enumerated if 

 space permitted, but the five named are the commonest and one 

 rarely finds a vessel of Inca type that has not at least one of 

 them upon it. In regard to color the Inca or Cuzco type is 

 rather sombre. Black, dark brown, light brown, red and some 

 white are the usual tints. 



Cuzco types tend to vary but little from the original model. 

 Nevertheless, local variations do occur in several regions, and 

 in the Inca pottery at Cuzco itself marked influences from the 

 arts of subjugated peoples are to be seen. We shall take up 



