Lot 250
**First Time At Auction**
Pre-Columbian, north coast of Peru, Moche V period, 600 to 800 BCE. A mold-made figural vessel of a standing human - probably an elite lord - with an enormous bird headdress. The figure's arms are raised, and its face is in a grimace, as if it is struggling to hold up the weight of the bird. A conical spout rises from the top of the bird's head. Red and creamy white pigment provides further detail to the figure. Above the bird's wings are two small projections that have been pierced through, possibly for suspension. Size: 3.55" W x 6" H (9 cm x 15.2 cm)
Moche V was a time period of social unrest, with radical changes and shifting urban centers, and 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 - unlike earlier figural vessels, this one probably does not depict an individual, but rather a common person or theme in Moche culture.
Provenance: private Vaught collection, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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#121831
- Condition: Tiny loss to spout and loss to bird's tail on back of vessel. Otherwise intact, with fine remaining pigment.
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| $1,000 | $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
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| $100,000 | $199,999 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 + | $25,000 |