Burial mask
copper, silver, traces of gilding, shell, and stones
100-700 CE
Moche culture
Peru
#ancient #mask #handmade #culture #art #religion #moche #mocheculture #precolumbian #prehispanic #copper #silver #gold #shell #gemstones #burialmask #funeralmask #protection #guide #underworld #death
This Mochica portrait vessel is an exceptionally realistic ceramic piece that captures the detailed features of a high-status individual, distinguished by its serene and dignified expression, almond-shaped eyes, and prominent nose. The head is adorned with a headdress beautifully decorated with geometric patterns in cream and brown tones, complemented by large ear ornaments that hang down along the sides of the face. At the top, the characteristic stirrup handle and spout are visible - distinctive elements of Moche pottery that fuse functionality with an artistic mastery unparalleled in Pre-Columbian sculptural portraiture.
Stirrup spout vessel
pottery
circa 200-600 CE
Moche culture
Peru
#handmade #ceramic #pottery #portrait #vessel #stirrupspout #mocheculture #peru #prehispanic #precolumbian #ancientart #ancientculture #mochepottery #moche
The Moche culture was a pre-Columbian civilization that thrived in northern Peru, specifically along the coast and river valleys, from roughly 100 to 800 CE. The Moche left a rich artistic and cultural legacy, including detailed depictions of daily life, religious rituals, and mythology.
Sleeping warrior vase
ceramic, pigment
100-800 CE
Moche culture
Peru
#mocheculture #peru #ceramic #vase #sleepingwarrior #handmade #ancientart #art #precolumbian #prehispanic #ancientperu
The Moche culture is recognized as one of the first complex societies of the desert North Coast of Peru. The Moche created monumental ritual temples, expansive irrigation systems, and a prolific art tradition that found expression in various media, including painted and molded ceramic vessels. Although they did not practice a system of writing, Moche art was rendered in a realistic style, offering insight into Pre-Columbian daily life, narrative myth, and ritual tradition. In Moche art the gods were represented fighting among themselves, or against other supernatural beings or humans. These battles ended with the decapitation of the defeated opponent. The gods are represented holding a half-moon shaped knife known as a tumi. A crucial element of Moche royal regalia was the nose ornament, whose imagery varies from benign to predatory. In this example, two supernatural decapitators brandish knives over a row of severed human heads. The Moche were among the Andes’ most inventive metalsmiths, and they developed many complex techniques for joining and enriching the surfaces of metals, which they usually worked by hammering rather than casting. The gold-and-silver ornaments were made by first joining gold and silver sheets through heating and hammering. Then came the relief decoration, followed by the selective removal of metal along the joins. Finally, the ornament was trimmed and polished.
Nose Ornament
silver and gold
depicting decapitators and heads
Peru, North Coast
Moche culture
50-800 CE
#mocheculture #mochica #peru #northcoast #noseornament #decapitator #silver #gold #handmade #ancientart #art #precolumbianart #andeanart
Terracotta containers from the north coast of Peru, dating to the Moche Culture of the first millennium CE. On display in the interesting Musee des Explorations du Monde in Cannes #cannesmuseum #mocheculture #ancientperu #cannes
This is a very fine sculptural ceramic bottle representing a cinnamon teal (Anas cyanoptera). It is a species that lives in lakes and coastal wetlands, and feeds on plants and aquatic insects and mollusks. It is depicted naturalistically in this bottle, but ducks are also represented in an anthropomorphic with attributes of warriors and as companions of the major deities in the mythological scenes in pre-Columbian art.
Sculptural Ceramic Ceremonial Vessel that Represents a Duck, 1 - 800 AD, Museo Larco(Pueblo Libre, Peru)
#ArtHistory #AncientAmerica #PreColumbianArt #MocheCulture #Ceramics
Ancient DNA reveals elite Moche kinship in Peru. The Señora de Cao, buried with regalia, is linked to sacrificed relatives and a reburied grandparent. Family ties shaped power, even in death. #MocheCulture #Archaeology #Peru #Anthropology
