**Originally Listed At $1000**

Pre-Columbian, North Coast Peru, Moche culture, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A striking mold-made and highly-burnished portrait human effigy stirrup vessel presenting an attractive bichrome finish in richly contrasting hues of orange and cream. Perhaps a beggar, the figure is kneeling with one hand holding a cup out before him. He displays characteristic Andean features and is nicely decorated, wearing a painted headdress, wavy pectoral/collar, bracelets, and loin cloth. What is most intriquing about this figure is that he appears to have suffered from a parasitic skin disease called leishmaniasis; notice his partially 'eaten away' nose, a classic sign of this condition. The Moche often portrayed people with such physical conditions. Scholars believe that to the Moche such deformities were regarded as signs that these individuals were chosen, special people who had been touched by the deities. Size: 6.25" L x 5" W x 8.375" H (15.9 cm x 12.7 cm x 21.3 cm).

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-J. Stoddart Senior collection, Virginia, USA

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#127152

Surface wear commensurate with age, fading to pigment near head and eyes, minor pitting and erosion marks, and lovely mineral deposits throughout.