Moche Pottery Lizard Stirrup Vessel, TL Tested

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VARIETY SALE | Ancient, Asian, Ethnographic

By Artemis Gallery

Feb 3, 2022

Set Reminder 2022-02-03 10:00:00 2022-02-03 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : VARIETY SALE | Ancient, Asian, Ethnographic https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/variety-sale-ancient-asian-ethnographic-8833
Join us for our first sale of February with a spotlight on two fabulous collections, one from Lumberton, Texas, and the other from Whisnant Gallery in New Orleans. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  Pre-Columbian, North Coast Peru, Moche, ca. 300 to 500 CE. A delightful bi-chrome stirrup vessel in the form of an iguana. The stirrup rises from the lizard's back, capped by a short, perfectly formed spout. The lizard's body is stout, with four sturdy legs and a face defined by a strong browline, large eyes, and a fierce depicted as a thin line. The tail lifts slightly at the end of the vessel, giving the vessel a dynamic feel, as if the animal is about to move. Dots, stripes, and thick dashes of earthy red pigment give the animal a lifelike appearance; note how it is covered in scales, with wrinkles of skin at its joints, and a crest along its backside. Iguanas were an important part of Moche iconography. Size: 10.7" W x 7.95" H (27.2 cm x 20.2 cm)
  
  Moche people, observing the marine iguana native to the Peruvian coast, incorporated the animal into their complex understanding of the world, which attributed the abilities that animals have what humans lack - such as the ability to fly, to swim long distances, to live in water - associating them with the gods. Iguanas were often associated with another figure in Moche iconography, known to researchers as "Wrinkle Face". In their 2007 exhibition "Dying to Rule: Sex and Power in Moche Society", the curators of the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino wrote, "'Wrinkle Face' symbolizes the powers of the earth. He wears a snake-fox belt and a jaguar headdress covers his head. His long, ferocious fangs represent that feline's power. To balance these attributes with those of the sea - the other major source of subsistence in Moche society - 'Wrinkle Face' is accompanied by 'Iguana', an amphibian that is capable of bridging these two important domains, land and sea."
  
  Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection, acquired in Paris, France, 2004; ex-Parisian 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.
  
  PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
  
  Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
  
  #151856

  Condition

  Although most Moche vessels that appear intact have been restored, if this one has been, it is impossible to detect from close examination. The vessel is in excellent condition with wear to the pigment commensurate with age and light deposits on the surface. TL drill hole on foot.
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