Description:

Pre-Columbian, North Coast Peru, Moche, Phase IV, ca. 450 to 650 CE. A hand-built pottery vessel with a planar base, a spherical body, a stirrup-shaped handle, and a cylindrical spout. Illustrated in red pigment atop the cream-hued body is a pair of mythological creatures known as the "Demon Fish" in Mochica lore. The Demon Fish each have gaping maws filled with sharp teeth, huge circular eyes, a serpent held in one extended hand, enormous fins with incised scales, and bent legs stretching out beneath their sail-shaped tails. The image of the Demon Fish is perhaps suggestive of Ai Apec, the primary Moche deity, having transformed into the nightmarish aquatic menace. Size: 5.75" W x 10.5" H (14.6 cm x 26.7 cm)

Cf. Donnan, Christopher B and Donna McClelland. "Moche Fineline Pottery: Its Evolution and Its Artists." UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History, Los Angeles, 1999, p, 112, fig. 4.68

Provenance: private Rochester, Michigan, USA collection; ex-Stein collection, Detroit, Michigan, USA, before 2000

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#174367

  • Condition: Small amount of infill material along base for stability purposes. Light abrasions and chipping, with fading to pigment in scattered areas, otherwise in very good condition. Nice preservation to Demon Fish motifs.

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September 8, 2022 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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