362 COLUMBIAN HISTORICAL EXPOSITION AT MADRID. 



into the times of the Conquistadores and priests of the new God, leaving 

 abundant material for the reconstruction of his remarkable history. 



The high organization of society in Peru, as elsewhere, had a tendency 

 to produce objects of luxury and to foster art. 



They were adept modelers, and made molds of their subjects as well 

 as taking casts for molds from gourds, fruit, and other natural forms 

 which can be specifically identified. 



According to Wiener (p. 632), the tradition is that the vessels were 

 placed in a heap of tacquia, or llama dung, and the fire blown up by 

 men with tubes of rush (cane?), as is practiced at the present time. 



A section of the finer Peruvian ware shows a smooth paste without 

 degraissant, gray blue, with a thin exterior layer of red, due to burn 

 ing. This is the character of paste in the bottle series and finer ware. 



It has been stated that the Peruvians mixed with the clay graphite, 

 charcoal, broken rock, and even wash gold as in Yucatan. ~No data 

 has been had to verify these statements from the collection shown in 

 Madrid, where little common ware was displayed. 1 



As already stated, the Peruvians were expert modelers, and used 

 molds almost altogether. These molds may have been half sections, 

 where the objects were alike on both sides, but were generally in two 

 or more sections. The lines where the parts were luted together often 

 show. In the Royal Archaeological Museum at Madrid there are in 

 some cases three casts from the same mold. Generally, each vessel 

 was modified by a longer or shorter spout, the application of other fea 

 tures, or the skillful use of modeling tools to change the expression of 

 faces, etc. Undercuts were necessarily avoided. Molds have not been 

 discovered in Peru, to the best of the writer s knowledge, and it would 

 be well for explorers to be on the alert for such relics. Perhaps in the 

 huacas a potter s outfit may be found, as have those of the weavers and 

 other crafts. 



Coiling has not been observed. There is a suspicion in some minds 

 that the Peruvians were familiar with the potter s wheel; indeed, some 

 vessels are so symmetrical that they look as though they had been 

 thrown. 



Peruvian pottery divides itself pretty sharply into the terra cotta 

 ware, with polychrome decoration, and the black, lustrous ware, which 

 has been stamped or incised. The latter was probably blackened by 

 smoke by the known method. 



Kearly all the ware is finely burnished. At present the natives of 

 the interior secure this polish by going over the surface of the ware 

 with the thumb nail of the right hand. 2 



Cream-colored pipeclay slip was applied to the decorated ware. 

 Sometimes the vessels were covered with the slip, but mainly it was 

 used as a color. Spherical bowl No. G has cream slip on the upper 



1 See Wiener, Perou et Bolivie, p. 650. 



2 Wiener, Perou et Bolivie, p. 631. 



