Description:

Pre-Columbian, north coast of Peru, Moche V, 600 to 800 CE. A wonderful vessel, mold-made, with a strap handle connecting the spout, a man's head, with the other end of the vessel, a large projecting jaguar head. The face of the animal is leering, with a wide smile, and his wide eyes mirror those of the man. The iconography links the man to the power of the jaguar - a common symbol of fierceness, martial prowess, and kingship in ancient Peruvian society. This vessel would have been placed in a tomb, perhaps containing a ritual offering. Size: 7.8" L x 4.3" W x 7.1" H (19.8 cm x 10.9 cm x 18 cm)

Moche V was a time period of social unrest, with radical changes and shifting urban centers, with the brief rise of the cities of Galindo in the Moche Valley and Pampa Grande in the Lambayeque Valley, but it is not clear what caused this unrest - some environmental calamity? A plague? Bad leadership, invasion, some other political explanation? At this time, portrait vessels became more generic - this probably does not depict an individual, but rather a common figure in Moche culture.

Provenance: private S.W. collection, Los Angeles, California, USA

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#125175

  • Condition: Small chips to spout and jaguar ears and some light surface pitting.

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July 20, 2017 7:00 AM MDT
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Artemis Fine Arts

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