Lot 118
Pre-Columbian, northern Peru, Moche II, ca. 100 BCE to 100 CE. An amusing bi-chrome stirrup vessel presenting a portrait head with wide open, inset almond-shaped eyes, a protruding, curved nose, a well-defined, grimacing mouth, carefully modeled facial planes and contours - even the philtrum (vertical groove running from nasal septum to upper lip) is somewhat defined - and a jutting jaw/chin, all framed by a centrally parted, long coiffure. What makes this figure so strange are the short legs that seem to displace the figure's neck. Size: 4.75" W x 8.375" H (12.1 cm x 21.3 cm)
The Moche were perhaps the only ancient culture in the Americas to produce portrait vessels. The sculptor's intent was usually to present a very realistic depiction, and interestingly, scholars have been able to follow the progression of age and rank of several of individuals portrayed in pottery. One particular face, easily identified because of his cut lip, appears in more than forty Moche pottery vessels. In their own way, these people were like rock stars of the day, portrayed by their own paparazzi. This example, however, departs from the traditional portrait vessel in that while the face is lifelike, the body is far from a realistic rendering.
Provenance: Ex- Collection of the late Peter Arnovick, San Francisco, CA
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#121076
- Condition: Tiny chip to rim. Expected surface wear with slight pigment loss commensurate with age. Nice manganese deposits.
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