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HOME :
Pre-Columbian Art :
Moche Art : Moche Vessel in the Form of a Fruit
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Moche Vessel in the Form of a Fruit - K.077
Origin: Northern Coast of Peru
Circa: 1
AD
to 600
AD
Collection: Pre-Columbian
Style: Moche
Medium: Terracotta
$7,500.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
In many places in the Americas, yucca, not
maize, was the staple food. The plant has
clustered roots ending in elongated tubers. It is
easy to grow; it does well in environments not
suitable for maize cultivation; and it can be
utilized in multiple ways. Eaten frequently in
various forms in the tropics today, the plant is
perhaps best known in the United States in the
form of tapioca. The shape of the yucca makes a
handsome bottle. The sculptor of this vessel has
carefully balanced the naturalistic form of the
yucca plant with the functional shape of the
container. The wood-like stalk projects from the
front of the vessel and serves as a spout.
Perhaps a cap that would fit easily into the stalk
contained the contents of this vessel. One
enlarged, hollow yucca serves as the body of the
vessel. Three smaller tubers are connected to the
stalk, functioning as handles. The form of this
vessel is simultaneously evocative of the reed
bundle boats that were commonplace in ancient
Peru. This unassuming vessel is a masterpiece of
naturalistic manipulation. The artist has taken a
form existing in nature and subtly molded and
twisted it to create a functional container that is
clearly based on the yucca but also suggests
something as vastly different as a boat. The
significance of the sea to Ancient Peruvians was
probably only outranked by the importance of
agricultural sustenance. Thus this vessel is
suggestive of the greater idea of life and
survival.
- (K.077)
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