Czére Andrea szerk.: A Szépművészeti Múzeum közleményei (Budapest, 2007)

ANNUAL REPORT - A 2007. ÉV - ADRIÁNA LANTOS: ...And Then the Incas Arrived - Treasures from Peru Before the Spanish Conquest

The exhibition was organised into five units that followed the five periods of cultural development as established by John H. Rowe. Based on the digs that uncovered artefacts and especially on the divergent styles of ceramics Rowe defined three so-called horizons during which the territory of the Central Andes was characterised by cultural and political unity, as well as two intermediate periods that demonstrated different cultural INTERIOR VIEW OF THE EXHIBITION .... characteristics in the different regions. In accordance with this, the exhibition was composed of clay vessels chiefly used for ritualistic purposes but also artefacts made of stone or wood, as well as textiles and objects made of gold and silver which played an important part in the Andean worldview. Passing through pillars that served as a gateway into the exhibition hall, a plethora of softly illuminated glass showcases reflecting one another from a distance met the eye, which although not set out in strict chronological order nevertheless guided visitors through the artefacts from the cultures of the Early Horizon (1100 BC-0 AD). The mainly stone and clay artefacts represented the most important cultures: Cupisnique (1200 BC-200 BC, north coast), Vicus (900 BC-400 AD, north coast), Chavín de Huántar (900 BC-200 AD, north highlands) and Paracas (300 BC-300 AD, south coast). The diverse artefacts from Moche culture (100-750 AD, north coast), categorised under cultures of the Early Intermediate Period (0-600 AD), were exhibited in a smooth transition in the second part of the Ionic Hall of the museum following the cultures of the Early Elorizon. Moche ceramics, which used realistic representation, introduced significant technical innovations in contrast to the modelling and coiling techniques used in the Early Horizon: they used moulding, which made a kind of "mass production" possible. The diverse depictions on the greater part of the mono- and bichrome pottery no longer depicted only anthro- and zoomorphic creatures but also real people including members of the elite and warriors. The gold and silver objects made by Moche artists were displayed