Moche Portrait Ceramic
Encyclopedia
Moche portrait vessles are ceramic vessels featuring highly individualized and naturalistic representations of human faces that are unique to the Moche culture of Peru
.
These portrait vessels are some of the very few realistic portrayals of humans found in the Precolumbian Americas.
and the Andean cordillera
. They were a stratified, agrarian society that also heavily relied on fishing.
The vessels range from 6—45 cm in height, with most being between 15—30 cm.
Typically, Moche pottery features red slip painted on a pale cream background; however, white-on-red and black paint is also found. While most portraits are three-dimensional portrayals of human, some have addition fineline paintings on their surface.
. An estimated 95% of these portrait vessels were collected by looters instead of archaeologists, so the initial provenance
of the vessels are unknown. Mostly they have been retrieved from graves but were used during people's lives, as evidenced by wear marks and repairs.
of a Moche ruler. The ruler is depicted wearing a material turban
on which there is a headdress decorated by a two-headed bird with feathers on side. The effigy also wears tubular earrings that can be found in the "Gold and Silver Gallery" of the Larco Museum.
The exact archaeological context in which it was found in is unknown. Nonetheless, information gained from various archaeological discoveries in the North Coast over the past 20 years suggests that it belonged to the tomb of a member of the Moche elite. Archaeologists found this type of headdress, made of reed, in the tomb of the warrior priest god in the Huaca de la Cruz, an archaeological site situated in the Virú Valley
, abbr=on 40 south of Trujillo
, explored by Strong and Evans in 1940. It may also have been excavated from within the Moche Valley in the southern Moche region.
Rafael Larco Hoyle received this piece from his father, Rafael Larco Herrera. It is said that this was the only ceramic piece Herrera kept when he bequeathed his private collection to the Museo del Prado
in Madrid
, Spain
and that Herrera gave it to his son who later opened his private collection to the public at the Larco Museum.
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
.
These portrait vessels are some of the very few realistic portrayals of humans found in the Precolumbian Americas.
Moche
The Moche culture thrived from 100—800 CE on the north coast of Peru. Their lands sat between the Pacific OceanPacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
and the Andean cordillera
Cordillera
A cordillera is an extensive chain of mountains or mountain ranges, that runs along a coastline . It comes from the Spanish word cordilla, which is a diminutive of cuerda, or "cord"...
. They were a stratified, agrarian society that also heavily relied on fishing.
Characteristics of the portrait vessels
While most Moche portrait vessels feature heads, some portray full human figures. They are meant to hold liquids. Almost all of the portraits of are adult men. In some rare instances, young boys are represented, but no portrait vessels of adult women have yet been found. The portraits are not idealized, some feature abnormalities, such as harelips and missing eyes.The vessels range from 6—45 cm in height, with most being between 15—30 cm.
Typically, Moche pottery features red slip painted on a pale cream background; however, white-on-red and black paint is also found. While most portraits are three-dimensional portrayals of human, some have addition fineline paintings on their surface.
Collections
Over 900 separate portrait vessels have been photographed by the University of California, Los AngelesUniversity of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
. An estimated 95% of these portrait vessels were collected by looters instead of archaeologists, so the initial provenance
Provenance
Provenance, from the French provenir, "to come from", refers to the chronology of the ownership or location of an historical object. The term was originally mostly used for works of art, but is now used in similar senses in a wide range of fields, including science and computing...
of the vessels are unknown. Mostly they have been retrieved from graves but were used during people's lives, as evidenced by wear marks and repairs.
Huaco Retrato Mochica
One particularly famous Moche portrait vessel is known as the Huaco Retrato Mochica. The portrait was made during the Late Moche period (ca. 600 CE), according to the chronology made by Rafael Larco Hoyle in 1948. The ceramic portrait is also an example of a stirrup spout vesselStirrup spout vessel
A stirrup spout vessel is a type of ceramic vessel common among several Pre-Columbian cultures of South America beginning in the early 2nd millennium BCE....
of a Moche ruler. The ruler is depicted wearing a material turban
Turban
In English, Turban refers to several types of headwear popularly worn in the Middle East, North Africa, Punjab, Jamaica and Southwest Asia. A commonly used synonym is Pagri, the Indian word for turban.-Styles:...
on which there is a headdress decorated by a two-headed bird with feathers on side. The effigy also wears tubular earrings that can be found in the "Gold and Silver Gallery" of the Larco Museum.
The exact archaeological context in which it was found in is unknown. Nonetheless, information gained from various archaeological discoveries in the North Coast over the past 20 years suggests that it belonged to the tomb of a member of the Moche elite. Archaeologists found this type of headdress, made of reed, in the tomb of the warrior priest god in the Huaca de la Cruz, an archaeological site situated in the Virú Valley
Viru Valley
-The Viru Valley Project:In 1946 the first attempt to study settlement patterns in the Americas took place in the Viru Valley, led by Gordon Willey. Rather than examine individual settlement sites, Willey wanted to look at the valley as a whole and the way that each village interacted with the others...
, abbr=on 40 south of Trujillo
Trujillo, Peru
Trujillo, in northwestern Peru, is the capital of the La Libertad Region, and the third largest city in Peru. The urban area has 811,979 inhabitants and is an economic hub in northern Peru...
, explored by Strong and Evans in 1940. It may also have been excavated from within the Moche Valley in the southern Moche region.
Rafael Larco Hoyle received this piece from his father, Rafael Larco Herrera. It is said that this was the only ceramic piece Herrera kept when he bequeathed his private collection to the Museo del Prado
Museo del Prado
The Museo del Prado is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It features one of the world's finest collections of European art, from the 12th century to the early 19th century, based on the former Spanish Royal Collection, and unquestionably the best single collection of...
in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and that Herrera gave it to his son who later opened his private collection to the public at the Larco Museum.
See also
- Huaco (pottery)Huaco (pottery)Huaco or Guaco is the generic name given in Peru mostly to earthen vessels and other finely made pottery artworks by the Indigenous peoples of the Americas found in pre-Columbian sites such as burial locations, sanctuaries, temples and other ancient ruins...
- Moche Crawling FelineMoche Crawling FelineThe Moche Crawling Feline is a specific stirrup spout vessel dating from 100—800 CE. This Moche ceramic effigy is currently in the collection of Larco Museum, in Lima, Peru. It comes from the North Coast of Peru...
- Peruvian artPeruvian artPeruvian art has its origin in the Andean civilizations. These civilizations rose in the territory of modern Peru before the arrival of the Spanish.- Pre-Columbian art:...
- Mississippian culture potteryMississippian culture potteryMississippian culture pottery is the ceramic tradition of the Mississippian culture found as artifacts in archaeological sites in the American Midwest and Southeast. It is often characterized by the adoption and use of riverine shell-tempering agents in the clay paste. Shell tempering is one of...