Pre-Columbian, North Coast Peru, Moche, ca. 400 to 600 CE. A hand-built and highly burnished pottery vessel depicting a jaguar seated on thick haunches at it rears up its head and torso to hold both forepaws up in an intimidating and defensive manner. The red-orange feline has both hind legs curled in front of its smooth belly while its sinuous tail curls behind its posterior. The body and cheeks are adorned with beige-hued dual-lobed motifs while the legs and snout are decorated with several horizontal stripes. Size: 7.875" W x 10.375" H (20 cm x 26.4 cm)

The jaguar symbolized power and might throughout the Pre-Columbian world. Warriors, rulers, hunters, and shamans alike associated themselves with this king of beasts, the largest and most powerful feline in the New World. The principal Moche god wears a headdress adorned with a jaguar head and paws and important mortals donned similar headdresses. A nocturnal animal, the jaguar sleeps in caves and dark places and creeps quietly in the forest, evoking great mystery. Oddly enough, few Moche artists would have seen jaguars as they are not indigenous to the coast. Jaguars prefer moist forest conditions. However, scholars believe that some cubs were transported over the mountains for Moche rituals, and it is also possible that some jaguars wandered down the coast.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection, before 2010; ex-private T. Misenhimer collection, Beverly Hills, California, USA, collected from 1970-2008

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#173733

Professional repair and restoration, with resurfacing and overpainting along new material and break lines. Abrasions, fading to pigment, and light earthen deposits. Nice preservation to overall feline form.