Exceptional Moche Portrait Vessel w/ TL

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Pre-Columbian | Tribal | Ethnographic

By Artemis Gallery

Apr 25, 2019

Set Reminder 2019-04-25 10:00:00 2019-04-25 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Pre-Columbian | Tribal | Ethnographic https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/pre-columbian-tribal-ethnographic-4035
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• Lot Description
  Pre-Columbian, Peru, Moche III to Moche IV (Classic Period), ca. 450 to 650 CE, probably later in the period. A strikingly lifelike mold-made portrait stirrup vessel in the tridimensional style, with the shape of the face sculpted as part of the pottery shape of the vessel (rather than painted on). In the classic Moche style, the vessel is slip painted and bichrome, with cream and red forming the details. The eyes have dark pigment, creating a naturalistic effect. This is a portrait of an older man with a large nose, slightly jutting, thin-lipped mouth, and deep circles under the heavy-lidded eyes. He wears large earrings whose curved form suggest shells, and has a smooth head of hair - or possibly a skullcap - with a huge stirrup handle and tall spout projecting from it. A round, concave disc sits on the front of the handle, painted red with a cross surrounded by dots painted in creamy white on its interior. This symbol may have been a marker of identity for the person depicted. Size: 5.9" W x 6.25" H (15 cm x 15.9 cm); 10.4" H (26.4 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  This would have been a portrait of an important member of Moche society; it is possible - even probable - that there are portraits of him as a young man found in other vessels, as we know of several examples of Moche portrait vessels portraying the same individual at different stages of life! Vessels like this one were traded as emblems of authority around the Moche world before being buried as grave goods; others are also known from domestic contexts, and wear on examples found in graves indicates that they were used every day for cooking and drinking before being buried with the dead. Imagine a vessel like this one being used at a feast, displaying a relationship with the person depicted.
  
  This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full report will accompany purchase.
  
  Provenance: ex-private Los Angeles, USA collection; ex-Carlos Osona personal collection, formed in the 1980s
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
  We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
  
  #143244

  Condition

  Repaired and restored from over a dozen pieces. Restoration is expertly done and almost indiscernible. This includes some retouching of paint, mostly on the hair and round attachment above the head - the face and eyes are nearly original. Drill hole for TL test underneath the chin.
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