**Originally Listed At $600**

Pre-Columbian, north coast of Peru, Moche V, ca. 600 to 800 CE. A figural stirrup vessel in the form of a jaguar-headdressed warrior. The warrior is seated, a huge mace held laterally across his body; he wears a skirt decorated with white dots and a white tunic with a collar. Atop his head is a fierce headdress with a tumi shape and a jaguar's face, probably implying that the warrior it was modeled from wore the real head of a jaguar. The figure also has enormous round earrings and bracelets. The stirrup handle projects from the back of the figure and the tall, cylindrical spout rises high above his head. His face is expressive, with large eyes and a determined, tight-lipped look on his face. Size: 6.5" L x 5.2" W x 8.8" H (16.5 cm x 13.2 cm x 22.4 cm)

Warfare and warriors are recurrent themes in Moche art, a strong testimony to the violence of Moche society, which was riven by intense inter-rivalry competition. There was a ritual element to Moche warfare too: prisoners had to be captured to make sacrifices to the gods. This figure seems to be a lord rather than an ordinary warrior, as the latter are usually depicted wearing conical helmets.

Provenance: private Baker collection, New Mexico, USA

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#124654

Some repair and restoration along repair lines.