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THBMoche IV Stirrup Vessel, Ai Apec in Crab Form, TL'd
About Seller
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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About Auction
LiveMar 9, 2023
Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (413)
- Lot Description
Pre-Columbian, North Coast Peru, Moche, Phase IV, ca. 450 to 700 CE. A hand-built pottery stirrup vessel depicting the primary god of the Moche people, Ai Apec (also Ai Apaec), in an uncommon crab form. Atop the beige-hued body Ai Apec rises with bared fangs, bulging eyes, a beaded necklace, and a crescent headdress fronted with an abstract zoomorphic head, and his white-spotted, crustacean-form arms drape down in front. Ai Apec is shown holding a lengthy strand in both claws that leads down to a red stingray bearing an incised visage. While the verso shows the crab body bearing 8 legs, there is also a pair of human legs protruding from the bottom. The human legs suggest Ai Apec could be in a transformative state or perhaps simply wearing a zoomorphic costume. Size: 7.5" L x 5.8" W x 8.7" H (19 cm x 14.7 cm x 22.1 cm) <br><br>In the Metropolitan Museum of Art's book about the Nathan Cummings Collection, the author writes about a popular scene in Moche iconography in which "an Ai-Apec crab is shown catching a fierce fish demon on a hooked line, while it slashes at him with a chopperlike knife. The crab deity appears to be defending the sea against a force that would drive away the food on which the Mochica depended." ("Ancient Peruvian Ceramics: The Nathan Cummings Collection" by Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY) Alan Reed Sawyer,1966, p. 57) <br><br>Cf. The Art Institute Chicago, reference number 1955.2292<br><br>This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full printed and bound report will accompany the item upon purchase. <br><br>Provenance: ex private Superior, Colorado, USA collection, acquired in Paris before 2000 <br><br>#130037
Condition
Repair to midsection of handle, as indicated by a hairline fissure. Abrasions and nicks to body, handle, head, and spout, with fading to pigment in scattered areas, otherwise in great condition. Nice preservation to crustacean form. TL drill holes beneath base and under handle.
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