lifeafterlife

		MOCHE IV North Coast 450 - 550 BCE STIRRUP POT SEABIRD MOTIF LMA 15970 Size: 24 cm tall, 23 cm long Manufacture: Mold-pressed and modeled Surface: Cream and red slips Firing: Oxidizing
In this interesting pot, a sea bird seems to be giving birth to a human figure, the face of which suggests that it is a mummy. It may be connected to the collection of bird guano from the so-called “Guano Islands”. These small, rocky islands off the coast served as the perfect breeding ground for sea birds. Their guano proved to be excellent fertilizer, and it was much prized by the peoples who were trying to survive on the limited agricultural resources of the coast. This vessel was probably mold pressed, with the stirrup being added later. Red and white slips were added to the natural clay color to provide contrast.

		MOCHE IV North Coast 450 - 550 BCE STIRRUP POT BEANBAG RUNNERS LMA 6309 Size: cm tall Manufacture: Modelled Surface: Fineline painting in cream and red slips Firing: Oxidizing
While the two-colored slipped wares are typical of the Moche, the use of two colors was not limited to large areas of a vessel. Another common practice was to depict stories or mythical beings using fine-line illustration. The so-called “Bean Bag Runners” may represent messengers, who run from place to place bringing messages in the form of combinations of different types of beans. In our pot, four runners encircle the vessel. They run through a landscape filled with plants, and their speed is highlighted by the inclusion of hummingbirds - surely the fastest of all animals known to the Moche.

		MOCHE IV North Coast 450 - 550 BCE STIRRUP POT PORTRAIT HEAD LMA 15985 Size: cm tall Manufacture: Mold-pressed and modelled Surface: Cream and red slips Firing: Oxidizing
Portrait heads are quite common in Moche ceramics. They were often mold-pressed, and then personalized by modeling the features afterwards. This example is a bit unusual, however, because it has no headdress. All of the examples we have seen have some form of headdress. It is clear that the faces of these portrait vessels were meant to represent the faces of the deceased, rather than gods or kings. What importance such portraits had to the living or dead is unclear, but it may be that the tombs could be visited, and that these vessels identified the remains of the dead.

		MOCHE IV North Coast 450 - 550 BCE STIRRUP POT MOUNTAIN SCENE WITH FOX LMA 7229 Size: cm tall Manufacture: Modeled Surface: Cream and red slips Firing: Oxidizing
The pointed snout and the stripe running down the back suggest that this is a fox. It is shown inhabiting the peaks of the mountains. Mountain scenes are almost invariably given this strange, cactus-like appearance. The mountains have also been provided with plants, drawn in the fine-line technique you saw in an earlier pot. The construction of this vessel must have been quite complicated. The body of the vessel may have been mold-pressed, but the fox was probably modeled and added after the body had been formed. The stirrup was also added later.

		MOCHE IV North Coast 450 - 550 BCE STIRRUP POT SNAIL MOTIF LMA 7220 Size: cm tall Manufacture: Modelled Surface: Fineline painting in cream and red slips Firing: Oxidizing
Spiralling up the side of the vessel, the snails are meant to be seen as being in motion. this was a fairly common motif in Moche culture.

		MOCHE IV North Coast 450 - 550 BCE STIRRUP POT MUMMY LMA 15979 Size: cm tall Manufacture: Mold-pressed Surface: Cream and red slips Firing: Oxidizing
This is yet another mold-pressed vessel, and an exact copy can be found in the museum at Lima. The form of the nose and moth indicate that this is a mummy, presumably making an offering to the gods in the afterlife. In his right hand, a stirrup pot - in his left, a beanbag.