Pre-Columbian, North Coast Peru, Moche I to II, ca. 100 to 300 CE. A meticulously decorated mold-made polychrome stirrup vessel in the form of a seated shaman holding a jaguar cub across his lap, all finely modeled and painted in black and creamy white on an orange ground. The shaman faces forward with a focused perhaps entranced expression. He wears a magnificent headband with zoomorphic (perhaps jaguar) ears and a beautiful stylized geometric pattern on the band, large earspools adorned with concentric black and white circles, elaborate facial paint or tattoos, and a tunic decorated with a spotted jaguar pelt hem, cuffs that display angular meanders, and two long meanders running from front to back over each shoulder. One of the most beautifully painted examples we have seen. Size: 7.25" L x 5.125" W x 8" H (18.4 cm x 13 cm x 20.3 cm)
The jaguar symbolized power and might throughout the Pre-Columbian world. Warriors, rulers, hunters, and shamans alike associated themselves with this king of beasts, the largest and most powerful feline in the New World. The principal Moche god wears a headdress adorned with a jaguar head and paws and important mortals like the one depicted here donned similar headdresses. A nocturnal animal, the jaguar sleeps in caves and dark places and creeps quietly in the forest, evoking great mystery. Oddly enough, few Moche artists would have actually seen jaguars as they are not indigenous to the coast; jaguars prefer moist forest conditions. However, scholars believe that some cubs were transported over the mountains for Moche rituals, and it is also possible that some jaguars wandered down the coast.
Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection
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#148477
Condition
Normal surface wear with slight pigment loss, though much remains and is quite impressive. Stirrup possibly repaired and restored - if so, this is very well done and difficult to see. Collection label on underside of base.