Lot 77A
Moche Pottery Amputee Figural Vessel, ex Museum
Moche Pottery Amputee Figural Vessel, ex Museum
Starting Bid: $350
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Pre-Columbian, North Coast of Peru, Moche culture, ca. 100 to 700 CE. A poignant Moche redware portrait vessel modeled in the form of a male bust, distinguished by its depiction of amputation and captivity. The figure is shown with truncated shoulders where his arms once would have been, his torso bare save for a diagonal sash painted in red and black pigment. His head serves as the vessel's spout, the neck and rim rising above his somber face, which bears downcast eyes, a closed mouth, and a stern, resigned expression. A band encircling the head may suggest a restraint or headdress. Moche ceramics frequently reflected the realities of ritual and warfare, and this vessel may represent the aftermath of combat, in which prisoners were bound and sacrificed. Amputees and captives appear in Moche art as symbols of both ritual power and social order, often linked to themes of dominance, fertility, and cosmic renewal. Size: 4.9" L x 5.4" W x 6.8" H (12.4 cm x 13.7 cm x 17.3 cm)
The restrained dignity of this figure, despite his mutilation, underscores the Moche fascination with human vulnerability and the transformative nature of ritual violence. Such portrait vessels are highly significant, for they blend naturalistic physiognomy with profound symbolic narrative, serving not only as containers but as embodiments of cultural memory and ideology.
Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection; previously bequeathed to the Museum for Islamic Art, Jerusalem, Israel, stored for many years and exhibited in 1988; ex-Yosef A. Maiman collection, Consul of Peru A.H., acquired in 1993; ex-Kate Kemper collection, Switzerland, acquired in the 1940s or earlier
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Item #
197039
- Condition: Restoration to rim. Nicks and surface wear with some small chips as shown, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, very nice with good remaining pigments. Rich earthen deposits to interior.
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