Each side of this Moche stirrup spout bottle shows a prominent subject of Moche iconography, Wrinkle Face and Iguana facing each other. On the left side of each pair, Wrinkle Face, a fanged anthropomorphic figure with wrinkles, snake earspools, a feline headdress, and a snake-headed belt, sits on a throne. On the right side, Iguana, the anthropomorphized lizard, wears a bird headdress. While Wrinkle Face raises a hand with a pointed index finger, Iguana joins both hands in an attitude of veneration. Throughout Moche history, the two companions were portrayed in a wide range of complex scenes, such as burial ceremonies, "bean and stick" ceremonies interpreted as games or rituals surrounding agricultural activities, and combats with supernatural creatures.
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Artwork Details
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Title:Stirrup-spout bottle with confronting figures
Date:500–800 CE
Geography:Peru, North Coast
Culture:Moche
Medium:Ceramic, slip
Dimensions:H. 9 x Diam. 6 1/2 in. (22.9 x 16.5 cm)
Classification:Ceramics-Containers
Credit Line:The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchase, Nelson A. Rockefeller Gift, 1961
Accession Number:1978.412.70
Hans and Mercedes Gaffron, Chicago; The Art Institute of Chicago, 1955–1961; The Museum of Primitive Art, New York, 1961–1978
Museum of Primitive Art. "Works from the Permanent Collection: Peru," November 20, 1963–May 10, 1964.
New York Public Library, Donnell Branch. "Man's Art From Four Continents," August 23, 1965–September 30, 1965.
Museum of Primitive Art. "The World of Primitive Art," July 12, 1966–September 11, 1966.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Art of Oceania, Africa and the Americas from The Museum of Primitive Art," May 10–August 17, 1969.
American Federation of Arts. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," January 5, 1975–May 15, 1977.
Seattle Art Museum. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," January 5, 1975–February 16, 1975.
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," March 23, 1975–May 4, 1975.
Dallas Museum of Art. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," June 8, 1975–July 20, 1975.
Art Institute of Chicago. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," August 25, 1975–October 10, 1975.
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," November 9, 1975–December 21, 1975.
Walker Art Center. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," June 27, 1976–August 8, 1976.
Denver Art Museum. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," September 10, 1976–November 7, 1976.
de Young Museum, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," March 12, 1977–May 15, 1977.
Metropolitan Museum of Art. Art of Oceania, Africa, and the Americas from the Museum of Primitive Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1969, no. 497.
American Federation of Arts. Primitive Art Masterworks: an exhibition jointly organized by the Museum of Primitive Art and the American Federation of Arts, New York. New York: American Federation of Arts, 1974, no.39.
Donnan, Christopher B. Moche Art of Peru: Pre-Columbian Symbolic Communication. Los Angeles: Museum of Cultural History, 1978.
Newton, Douglas. Masterpieces of Primitive Art: The Nelson A. Rockefeller Collection. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1978, p. 180.
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