Lot 94A
Pre-Columbian, Central/North Coast Peru, Moche, Phase IV, ca. 400 to 650 CE. A fabulous mold-formed pottery jar with a slightly rounded but stable foot, a broad body with protruding lateral bulges, a bulbous shoulder, and a stirrup-shaped handle with a cylindrical spout in the center. The front and back of the highly burnished vessel are decorated with low relief faces of Ai Apec (also Ai Apaec), the chief deity of the Moche culture, who bears incised circular eyes beneath furrowed brows, an aquiline nose with flared nostrils, and a fang-filled mouth. One eye from both faces are mutually shared with two highly stylized jaguar heads that extend from the sides - each with bared teeth and short snouts - and Ai Apec's noses double as the felines' perky ears. Circular and waveform motifs are presented in cream-hued pigment atop the brown-slipped surfaces and comprise the eyelashes, teeth, and whiskers of the faces. Size: 5.4" W x 8.8" H (13.7 cm x 22.4 cm)
Ai Apec was the creator god, the chief deity of the Moche (Mochica) culture. He provided water, food, and military triumphs to the Moche, but this powerful figure was also feared. Here Ai Apec bears the identifying marks associated with his iconography such as feline fangs and an animalistic stare, and the eyes he shares with the jaguars protruding from his temples signify how his power is drawn from these majestic creatures. Ai Apec is also illustrated on other Moche pottery creations as wearing a jaguar headdress that further amplifies his intimidating and fearsome presentation.
Provenance: private Bloomington, Indiana, USA collection, purchased at Parke-Bernet Galleries, March 6, 1971
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#152947
- Condition: Minor abrasions and nicks to base, body, handle, and spout, with softening to some raised details, fading and chipping to original pigmentation, light encrustations, and a couple of stable hairline fissures along base and body, otherwise intact and excellent. Light earthen deposits and great traces of original pigment throughout.
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