When I saw this pottery piece at a museum in Lima, my immediate reaction was — it’s the lady with the ax in One Piece! I tried to find the character’s name and have searched the One Piece wiki with no avail.
The female face is a popular motif in Nazca pottery. The Nazca civilization flourished in Peru between 100BC and 800AD, and was known for its beautiful textiles, advanced aqueduct technology, and of course, pottery. You might have also heard of the Nazca lines, the geoglyphs in the region that form geometric shapes and animal outlines stretching out for up to 1200 feet wide and look magnificent when seen in the air.
With the use of simple lines, exaggerated features, colorful contrasts, and use of outlines, Nazca art bears striking resemblance to modern cartoons. It invokes the childish sense of joy in me, and I imagine the Nazca culture to be one of peace and creativity just based on the innovation and imagination it left behind.
OK, so it’s not really a doll, but if I were a little girl I would take this pot home and put it among my doll collection 😛
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