Moche Bi-Chrome Whistling Stirrup Vessel Macaw, TL Test

Pre-Columbian, central/north coast Peru, Moche, Phase IV, ca. 450 to 700 CE. A gorgeous, hand-built pottery vessel with a planar base, a bulbous body with two chambers and a raised avian head atop the larger chamber, a semicircular, stirrup-shaped handle with a cylindrical spout in the middle. Depicted is a highly stylized macaw that forms much of the larger chamber, and the smaller chamber - replete with a red stippled ring - doubles as the bird's tail. The highly burnished vessel is first covered in cream-hued slip and accentuated with red pigment that forms the vermilion feathers, the pupils centered on the bulging eyes, the petite feet, and the handle and spout. A perforated tone hole within the macaw's mouth creates a fine sound when air is blown into the spout. Size: 8.75" L x 5.375" W x 9.3" H (22.2 cm x 13.7 cm x 23.6 cm)

Andean societies thought of birds as precious resources; there was a roaring trade, for example, in parrot and macaw feathers from the Amazon Basin to the Andes so that they could adorn the garments of elites. A huge variety of birds appears in ancient Andean artwork, often depicted in ways that both emphasized supernatural qualities they were believed to have but also showing that the artisans were familiar with what real birds of many species looked like. To the Moche, birds signified prestige, and the bright plumage of the macaw made it especially valuable.

Stirrup spout vessels reached their high point with the Moche culture, which flourished during the Early Intermediate period from approximately 100 BCE through 800 CE where a vast array and large quantities of these ceramics were produced. The Moche or Mochica employed a wide variety of techniques to create vessels ranging from the most basic and utilitarian to finely painted pots and carefully molded portrait vessels that display wonderful artistic expression.

This vessel has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis by Ralf Kotalla Thermoluminescence Laboratories, Germany, ref. no. 549404 (May 30, 1994). A full report will accompany purchase.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-private Hans Juergen Westermann collection, Germany, collected from the 1950s to the 1960s

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#153230 Dimensions: Condition Report: Professionally repaired from multiple pieces, with restoration in some areas, and resurfacing and overpainting along new material and break lines. Abrasions and minor nicks to base, both chambers, macaw head, handle, and spout, with fading and chipping to areas of original pigmentation, and light encrustations. Nice traces of original pigment throughout. Whistle produces nice sound when played. Two TL drill holes: one beneath one foot, and one behind head.