Moche Stirrup Head Pot
Peru
200 - 800 AD
Height 11 1/2"
Provenance: Daine Calvin, Phoenix, AZ
The Moche culture, which thrived on the north coast of Peru circa 100 to 800, was one of the few to develop a form of portraiture that sought to capture individualized features in a naturalistic style and with a high degree of accuracy. The reappearance of idiosyncratic details in multiple portraits, moreover, indicates an interest not only in physical likeness, but also in representing the same person at various moments or stages in life. Although molds were used to produce the portraits, each seems to have been slightly altered to give it a unique appearance.
Like other Moche portraits, this head is a hollowed-out, three-dimensional vessel. Although most Moche portrait vessels known today were found in graves, the wear and tear exhibited by these objects attest to a utilitarian nature. These vessels, which come in a number of different shapes, often with stirrup-shaped spouts attached, were, in fact, containers for liquids such as a chicha, a fermented maize beer. Unfortunately, objects that are used are often short-lived. It is likely, therefore, that the number of extant Moche portraits represents just a small fraction of those that were produced.
Although evidence is lacking regarding the distribution of Moche portrait vessels, we do have some clues. The use of molds in the creation of these portraits points to mass reproduction, while their small size—generally between six and twelve inches high—indicates portability, hence easy dissemination over distances. These circumstances suggest that portraits might have been sent out by rulers to vassal states as assertions of sovereignty or traded between elite groups or personages as symbols of alliance.
Peru
200 - 800 AD
Height 11 1/2"
Provenance: Daine Calvin, Phoenix, AZ
The Moche culture, which thrived on the north coast of Peru circa 100 to 800, was one of the few to develop a form of portraiture that sought to capture individualized features in a naturalistic style and with a high degree of accuracy. The reappearance of idiosyncratic details in multiple portraits, moreover, indicates an interest not only in physical likeness, but also in representing the same person at various moments or stages in life. Although molds were used to produce the portraits, each seems to have been slightly altered to give it a unique appearance.
Like other Moche portraits, this head is a hollowed-out, three-dimensional vessel. Although most Moche portrait vessels known today were found in graves, the wear and tear exhibited by these objects attest to a utilitarian nature. These vessels, which come in a number of different shapes, often with stirrup-shaped spouts attached, were, in fact, containers for liquids such as a chicha, a fermented maize beer. Unfortunately, objects that are used are often short-lived. It is likely, therefore, that the number of extant Moche portraits represents just a small fraction of those that were produced.
Although evidence is lacking regarding the distribution of Moche portrait vessels, we do have some clues. The use of molds in the creation of these portraits points to mass reproduction, while their small size—generally between six and twelve inches high—indicates portability, hence easy dissemination over distances. These circumstances suggest that portraits might have been sent out by rulers to vassal states as assertions of sovereignty or traded between elite groups or personages as symbols of alliance.
Peru
200 - 800 AD
Height 11 1/2"
Provenance: Daine Calvin, Phoenix, AZ
The Moche culture, which thrived on the north coast of Peru circa 100 to 800, was one of the few to develop a form of portraiture that sought to capture individualized features in a naturalistic style and with a high degree of accuracy. The reappearance of idiosyncratic details in multiple portraits, moreover, indicates an interest not only in physical likeness, but also in representing the same person at various moments or stages in life. Although molds were used to produce the portraits, each seems to have been slightly altered to give it a unique appearance.
Like other Moche portraits, this head is a hollowed-out, three-dimensional vessel. Although most Moche portrait vessels known today were found in graves, the wear and tear exhibited by these objects attest to a utilitarian nature. These vessels, which come in a number of different shapes, often with stirrup-shaped spouts attached, were, in fact, containers for liquids such as a chicha, a fermented maize beer. Unfortunately, objects that are used are often short-lived. It is likely, therefore, that the number of extant Moche portraits represents just a small fraction of those that were produced.
Although evidence is lacking regarding the distribution of Moche portrait vessels, we do have some clues. The use of molds in the creation of these portraits points to mass reproduction, while their small size—generally between six and twelve inches high—indicates portability, hence easy dissemination over distances. These circumstances suggest that portraits might have been sent out by rulers to vassal states as assertions of sovereignty or traded between elite groups or personages as symbols of alliance.