Lot 8E
Pre-Columbian, North Coast Peru, Moche, ca. 100 to 500 CE. A striking blackware stirrup-spout vessel from the Moche culture, skillfully modeled with the portrait of a high-status individual - likely a ruler or elite - rendered in an abstract yet expressive form. The face, forming the body of the vessel, rests atop a pair of stylized legs and feet, which subtly resemble feline paws, possibly alluding to the subject's strength and power, qualities often associated with jaguars, pumas, or ocelots in Moche iconography. The figure gazes resolutely forward with wide, almond-shaped eyes beneath finely arched brows. A slender, slightly hooked nose with flared nostrils, thin straight lips framed by deep nasolabial folds, and a sharply defined chin all contribute to a commanding, individualized expression. A long, smooth coiffure drapes straight down from the crown - a style typical of elite Moche portraiture. Size: 5.6" L x 4.3" W x 10" H (14.2 cm x 10.9 cm x 25.4 cm)
Stirrup vessels such as this were ceremonial in nature, often used in funerary or ritual contexts and buried with the elite as symbols of identity, authority, and spiritual potency. This vessel is a superb example of the Moche tradition of realistic and symbolic ceramic portraiture, which remains one of the most iconic art forms of ancient Peru.
The Moche were likely the only ancient culture in the Americas to create true portrait vessels - ceramic effigies intended to capture the realistic likenesses of individuals. These sculpted portraits were often so detailed that scholars have been able to track the aging and changing status of certain individuals across multiple vessels. One such figure, distinguished by a noticeable cut on his lip, appears on over forty different Moche ceramics, suggesting he was a prominent figure repeatedly depicted over time. In many ways, these individuals were the celebrities of their era - immortalized by the artisans of their society much like modern public figures are by the media.
This particular vessel, while maintaining the lifelike facial features typical of Moche portraiture, deviates from the norm through its stylized body. Rather than a naturalistic torso, the figure is depicted resting on a pair of exaggerated, paw-like feet - a symbolic or abstract element that distinguishes it from more traditional Moche portraits.
Cf. Metropolitan Museum of Art (1979.206.1111) and Chicago Institute of Art (1958.564).
Provenance: Collection of Y. Kayvan, Los Angeles, California, USA, acquired from a Los Angeles, California, USA gallery acquisition dates range from the late 1990s to 2005
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#194302
- Condition: Professionally repaired with restoration and repainting over break lines. Some minor areas of chipping and light surface wear, but otherwise, nice presentation with lustrous finish.
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