Moche Pottery Portrait Vessel w/ Extending Arm & Hand

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Exceptional Antiquities Ethnographic Fine Art...

By Artemis Gallery

Mar 24, 2022

Set Reminder 2022-03-24 10:00:00 2022-03-24 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities Ethnographic Fine Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-ethnographic-fine-art-9057
Museum-worthy examples of classical antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Viking, Far East / Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Fossils, Ancient Jewelry, Fine / Visual Arts, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  Pre-Columbian, Peru, Moche III to Moche IV (Classic Period), ca. 450 to 650 CE. A wonderful pottery portrait vessel featuring a narrow base, a bulbous body with an extending arm and hand, and an annular, inward-curving rim. Enveloped in mottled hues of gray and beige, the fascinating vessel presents the relief visage of an individual on 1 side, exhibiting heavy-lidded, almond-shaped eyes, a round nose, chubby cheeks, prominent nasolabial folds, and full lips held open to display a toothy grin, all supported by a cylindrical neck that also serves as the base of the vessel. A pair of petite, high-set ears flank the face, sitting just below a helmet-like headdress. A thick arm extends from the proper left side of the head, terminating in a sizeable hand-held open with delineated fingers and a target motif painted on the palm. A pair of bulbous nubs flank the wrist on the verso. Size: 11" W x 5.5" H (27.9 cm x 14 cm)
  
  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.
  
  Provenance: private Hidden Valley Lake, California, USA collection; ex-Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas, USA, "2019 June 25 Ethnographic Art: American Indian, Pre-Columbian and Tribal Art Signature Auction - Dallas #5412," lot 70608
  
  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.
  
  #170513

  Condition

  Chipping to interior of rim. Some minor nicks, pitting, scratches, and abrasions, commensurate with age. Light peeling to surface on verso. Modern burnish to exterior. Otherwise, intact and excellent with impressive remaining details and pigments.
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