Description:

Pre-Columbian, North Coast Peru, Moche III, ca. 300-400 CE. The jaguar 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 wears a headdress adorned with a jaguar head and paws and important mortals 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. The animated visage and exaggerated ears and paws suggest that the artist who created this vessel may not have been working to achieve naturalistic representation but rather to evoke the powerful symbolism of the jaguar. Juxtaposing the animal with a conch shell is characteristic of the Moche. Not only did the jaguar climb trees, it also swam in streams, and the Moche were quite taken with the jaguar's ability to swiftly move between one world and another. 10"W x 8-1/4"H x 6"D

Provenance: Ex-Westermann Collection, Germany, collected 1950s-1960s

All items in this auction are legal to buy/sell under U.S. statute covering cultural patrimony per United States Code 2600, CHAPTER 14 -- CONVENTION ON CULTURAL PROPERTY, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

  • Condition: Minor surface wear. Bichrome finish appears excellent. Intact and near choice!

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,000
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $25,000