Lot 188
Pre-Columbian, North Coast Peru, Moche, ca. 300 to 500 CE. A hand-built pottery vessel depicting a standing iguana deity holding a myriad of shamanic implements or musical instruments in both arms. The reptilian effigy exhibits a pinched face topped with an avian headdress, and a large red robe wraps around the figure's upper body. The stone-burnished surfaces are decorated with red, orange, and white pigments that create a wondrous effect on this anthropomorphic artifact. Size: 5.75" L x 4.7" W x 8" H (14.6 cm x 11.9 cm x 20.3 cm)
The Moche people, observing the marine iguana native to the Peruvian coast, incorporated the animal into their complex understanding of the world, which attributed the abilities that animals have what humans lack - such as the ability to fly, to swim long distances, to live in water - associating them with the gods. Iguanas were often associated with another figure in Moche iconography, known to researchers as "Wrinkle Face." In their 2007 exhibition "Dying to Rule: Sex and Power in Moche Society," the curators of the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino wrote, "'Wrinkle Face' symbolizes the powers of the earth. He wears a snake-fox belt and a jaguar headdress covers his head. His long, ferocious fangs represent that feline's power. To balance these attributes with those of the sea - the other major source of subsistence in Moche society - 'Wrinkle Face' is accompanied by 'Iguana', an amphibian that is capable of bridging these two important domains, land and sea."
Provenance: ex-Marc Amiguet Schmitt estate, Amiguet's Ancient Art, Evansville, Indiana, USA, acquired prior to January 1, 2010
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#173391
- Condition: Minor nicks, abrasions, and fading to pigment commensurate with age, with earthen deposits in scattered areas, and light softening to some finer details, otherwise intact and very good. Great preservation to overall form and nice root marks within interior.
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