Pre-Columbian, North Coast Peru, Moche, Phase IV, ca. 450 to 700 CE. A mold-formed and highly burnished redware pottery vessel with a round but stable base, a hemispherical body surmounted by a cylindrical spout, and a thick, stirrup-shaped handle arching off one side of the spout. Depicted on each side of the vessel is the low relief image of a crab, its body facing upwards with sinuous legs extending from the sides of its body, and claws raised as if defending itself from a larger predator. Size: 5.3" W x 6.4" H (13.5 cm x 16.3 cm)

Provenance: private Hidden Valley Lake, California, USA collection, purchased October 10, 2020; ex-Arte Antico, LLC auction, New York, New York, USA; ex-M. Albanese collection

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#170657

Possible repairs to handle and small areas of spout, but expertly done and well concealed if present. Minor abrasions and fading to pigment across body, with light encrustations, and softening to some crustacean details. Nice preservation to crab imagery on both sides of body. Old inventory label beneath base.