Stirrup Spout Bottle with Seated Figure 200–600 Moche This ceramic stirrup-spout bottle in the shape of a seated man wearing a checkerboard tunic was created by potters of the Moche culture of Peru’s North Coast. The figure’s hair is enveloped in a tight fitting head wrap that extends down his back, with locks of hair extending down in front of each ear. Over his left shoulder he carries a small bag of the type used to carry coca leaves, decorated with horizontal stripes and a fringe at the bottom (see Donnan and Donnan 1997:227, fig. 29 and 233, fig. 42 for related imagery). Traces of bl

Stirrup Spout Bottle with Seated Figure 200–600 Moche This ceramic stirrup-spout bottle in the shape of a seated man wearing a checkerboard tunic was created by potters of the Moche culture of Peru’s North Coast. The figure’s hair is enveloped in a tight fitting head wrap that extends down his back, with locks of hair extending down in front of each ear. Over his left shoulder he carries a small bag of the type used to carry coca leaves, decorated with horizontal stripes and a fringe at the bottom (see Donnan and Donnan 1997:227, fig. 29 and 233, fig. 42 for related imagery). Traces of black circular tattoos or paint adorn his cheeks, and he sports a moustache and a small beard. There are holes in his ear lobes for ear ornaments. His eyes are open, indicating that, unlike other figures in a seated position, he is not sleeping (see accession number in the Met’s collection for an example of a sleeping figure). His arms are crossed under his tunic, perhaps for warmth, or perhaps as a gesture of unknown significance. Checkerboard tunics are closely associated with elite warriors (for an example and discussion see accession number in the Met’s collection). In other examples of Moche bottles featuring figures with checkerboard tunics the figure appears to be holding up the tunic, perhaps in a gesture of display (Pillsbury 2002:fig. 3). The stirrup-spout vessel—the shape of the spout recalls the stirrup on a horse's saddle—was a much favored form on Peru's northern coast for about 2,500 years. Although the importance and symbolism of this distinctive shape is still puzzling to scholars, the double-branch/single-spout configuration may have prevented evaporation of liquids, and/or that it provided a convenient handle. The double-branch may have also held symbolic importance, reflecting a belief in the importance of tinku, a Quechua term for convergence, such as the confluence of two rivers. Early in the first millennium , the Moche

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