Piura region of North Coast Peru
Vicús culture

Pottery, pigment
ca. 400 to 100 BCE
Height: 7  5/8 in; Width: 9.5 in
Aerophones – Wind Instruments Proper – Edge-blown Flutes

A pre-Columbian, double chambered bridge-spout whistling vessel, from the Vicús culture of the Piura region of North Coast Peru, ca. 400 to 100 BCE.  The frontal chamber is in the form of an anthropomorphic standing figure (perhaps a shaman) donning a crescent moon shaped headdress created by one of the most important and early cultures of ancient Peru.

Whistling vessels like this example produce music utilizing the principle that fluid will move from one chamber to another, thereby displacing the air in the second chamber which is then forced to move across the sounding edge of the whistle. The air is forced across the whistle in a relatively delicate manner, resulting in a pleasingly wavering sound. There are numerous sound holes pierced behind the figure’s head as well as at his temples and nostrils. The remains of negative resist produced geometric patterns adorn the face and body of the figure as well as the back vessel.