Moche Polychrome Whistling Jaguar Vessel w/ TL, ex-Museum

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Antiquities | Asian | Ethnographic Art

By Artemis Gallery

Jul 1, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-07-01 10:00:00 2021-07-01 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Antiquities | Asian | Ethnographic Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/antiquities-asian-ethnographic-art-7148
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• Lot Description
  Pre-Columbian, north coast of Peru, Moche, Phase IV, 450 to 600 CE. A wonderful mold-made pottery stirrup vessel with a large handle and spout projecting from the back of a fantastical figure adorned in hues of beige, red, and black. Seated cross-legged, wearing a belt decorated with 3 circular motifs, is a jaguar-headed, human-bodied shaman. The head is large relative to the body, with huge, wide-open eyes and a mouth full of sharp teeth, with the lips parted as if sound is emitting from between them. The hands rest at the top of a skirt that covers the upper part of the figure's legs. A large tail coils at the figure's posterior as its giant ears point backwards. The liberal remains of a sun motif can be seen on one cheek of the fascinating figure. A pair of annular apertures on the figure's neck allow one to blow through the spout and create a lovely tune. A truly remarkable example from the ancient Moche! Size: 8.25" L x 5" W x 9" H (21 cm x 12.7 cm x 22.9 cm)
  
  Anthropomorphic/zoomorphic figures like this one represent shamans with shapeshifting powers. Using hallucinogenic drugs and other methods of inducing altered states, shamans could assume an animal identity. 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 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 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.
  
  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-Ashland University Museum, Ashland, Ohio, USA
  
  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.
  
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  #165442

  Condition

  TL holes to base and under jaw. Repaired from several pieces with restoration over break lines, as well as to base, tips of ears, and rim of spout. Light abrasions throughout, as shown. Otherwise, excellent with light earthen deposits on interior and nice pigments.
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