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The gourd is a large fruit commonly found in tropical regions all over the world, including South America and Central America. Along with being nutritious, gourds have long be utilised as vessels, their waterproof skin forming a hard shell when hollowed and dried. In Peru, local artists have long engraved scenes into gourd vessels. Sometimes these are floral or geometric patterns, but often, they are landscapes or stories, as with this vessel. In this Peruvian gourd vessel, likely from the early or mid-twentieth century, the artist has depicted everyday events from an Andean village, with an early car, loaded llamas, birds, cattle and large colonial houses. The red colouration augments the carving and is generally applied with ochre paints after the carving is complete.
