Portrait Vessel

600–700

Ceramic portrait vessels produced by artists of the Moche culture are the only discernible examples of portraiture, in a Euro-American sense, from the ancient Andes. Vessels like this one were often placed in burials as funerary offerings. They may also have been sent as emblems of royal authority, or even emissaries, to other elite individuals in nearby settlements.

Public domain · CC0
Free to download and reuse. Image courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago.

Artist

Ceramist unknown (Moche) Southern Moche region, north coast, Peru

Date

600–700

Medium

Earthenware and mineral slips

Dimensions

34.7 × 20.6 × 22.6 cm (13 11/16 × 8 1/8 × 8 15/16 in.)

Origin

Peruvian North Coast

Collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Credit

Kate S. Buckingham Endowment Fund