Pre-Columbian Moche IV Shaman Figural Vessel Such masks were placed over

Such masks were placed over the head of the deceased as part of funerary rites

When reversed and viewed upside-down

and painted facial panels

Provenance: Ex  Vogt Auction Galleries

Pre-Columbian Moche IV Shaman Figural Vessel Such masks were placed overA finely modeled Pre Columbian figural vessel from the Moche culture of ancient Peru, dating to approximately 100700 CE (Moche Phase IV). The vessel depicts a shamanic or ritual specialist figure, shown holding a cluster of ulluchu fruitan element closely associated with Moche ceremonial and sacrificial iconography. The figure is rendered with a composed, stylized expression, framed by large earspools and an elaborate headdress incorporating a