Rare Moche Pottery Stirrup Vessel, TL Tested

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Fine Antiquities | Ethnographica | Fine Art

By Artemis Gallery

May 19, 2022

Set Reminder 2022-05-19 10:00:00 2022-05-19 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Fine Antiquities | Ethnographica | Fine Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/fine-antiquities-ethnographica-fine-art-9350
Featuring a very special collection of Fine Art from the Hollywood Hills, including Picasso & Rookwood ceramics! Also included are many fine examples of classical antiquities, ancient, and ethnographic art from cultures encompassing the globe. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  Pre-Columbian, North Coast Peru, Moche, Phase III, ca. 350 to 550 CE. A remarkable pottery stirrup vessel, mold-made to present a domed body with a tubular stirrup spout, all sitting upon an annular, planar base. Meticulously adorned with incised decoration and hand-painted in hues of maroon, burnt orange, and beige, the ancient vessel features a complex decoration of meandering and undulating forms resembling the body of a serpent or tail of a feline, embellished by hundreds of incised linear striations. Alternatively, the area near the base of the vessel is slightly risen and painted with a horizontal row of triangles below a row of circles. While the geometric motif painted near the bottom of this vessel is classic Moche, the spiraling incised design embellishing the body is highly typically of Chavin vessel decoration - in effect showing that the Moche must have found pottery from the Chavin people aesthetically pleasing and thus continued the tradition into their own iconography. Size: 4.9" Diameter x 8.5" H (12.4 cm x 21.6 cm)
  
  The serpent is a fascinating element of Pre-Columbian iconography as it was regarded to be a beneficial source of nourishment and at the same time quite deadly with its poisonous venom. Also important to the indigenous was the fact that snakes shed their skin annually thus rejuvenating themselves and serving as symbols of renewal and good health.
  
  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 is available to the buyer upon request.
  
  Provenance: private Dodge collection, Superior, Colorado, USA, acquired 2005 Paris; ex-Lempertz Auctions, Cologne
  
  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.
  
  #170598

  Condition

  Chipping to rim and periphery of base. Minor restoration to rim. Expected nicks and abrasions throughout. Otherwise, excellent with impressive remaining pigments and incised detail. TL holes to inside of spout and base.
• Shipping Info

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