Lot 162C
Pre-Columbian, Northern Peru, Moche, ca. 400 to 600 CE. A superb bichrome terracotta vessel depicting an important male standing lord or cazique with a portrait-like face and a focussed, trance-like expression. Note how he gazes steadfastly ahead with those wide-open eyes. The figure is elaborately dressed, donning a jaguar headdress, large round earspools, a red tunic with a decorative trim, and a long white shawl neatly tied around his neck. He holds ceremonial implements in both hands, a double rattle-like instrument in the left, and a kero or sack attached to a strap most likely intended to contain a hallucinogenic substance used during ritualistic ceremonies. A wonderful example of a human effigy vessel representing a significant individual of the Moche! Size: 4.875" W x 7.5" H (12.4 cm x 19 cm)
A word about jaguar iconography: Jaguar imagery symbolized power and might throughout the Pre-Columbian world. Warriors, rulers, hunters, and shamans alike associated themselves with this king of beasts, the largest and most powerful feline in the New World. The principal Moche god Ai Apec wears a headdress adorned with a jaguar head and paws and important mortals like the gentleman depicted in this example donned similar headdresses. A nocturnal animal, the jaguar sleeps in caves and dark places and creeps quietly in the forest, evoking great mystery. Oddly enough, few Moche artists would have actually scene jaguars as they are not indigenous to the coast. Jaguars prefer moist forest conditions. However, scholars believe that some cubs were transported over the mountains for Moche rituals and it is also possible that some jaguars wandered down the coast.
Provenance: Ex-Peter Arnovick collection, San Francisco, CA
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#117608
- Condition: Repairs to rim above the jaguar headdress. Expected surface wear and minor slip loss.
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