*Vase portrait de dignitaire

The face is surmounted by a headdress representing a two-headed falcon. The wings in relief are folded and decorated with red and cream squares. Between the two falcon heads, the base of the headdress is decorated with three embedded chevrons. The back of the headdress is decorated with red stripes and a flap falls into the dignitary's neck. The almond-shaped eyes have painted pupils. The nostrils of the aquiline nose are perforated and the fold of the lobules is indicated by an incision. The thin lips are pursed. This dignitary is adorned with tambas, circular ear ornaments, the surface of which is decorated with a design representing a falcon and a possum respectively. These animals are attributes of power and affirm the important place of this dignitary in the social hierarchy. He also has black facial and body paint painted on the eyes, nose, corners of the mouth and around the neck. The corners of the mouth are decorated with a circle surrounded by dots evoking the sun, while on the nostrils, a corncob motif symbolizes germination and abundance. Brown terracotta, with light beige slip and polychrome decorations in red, orange and black Mochica, Peru, 450 - 750 A.D. 25.4 x 22 x 16.4 cm Provenance: - Former Gallery Emmerich collection, NY, ca. 1972 - Mermoz Gallery, 2003 Born on the northern coast of Peru, the "Moche" or Mochica culture developed in the most important coastal region, in oasis valleys, between 100 and 800 AD. Organized into chiefdoms, the Mochica built important architectural complexes with sophisticated irrigation networks that allowed them to feed their entire population without difficulty, despite the drought that reigned in their territory. The reputation of the artists is based on their mastery of metallurgy associated with stonework (inlays) as well as on the quality of their ceramics. The representations, essentially warlike and religious, reflect the effervescence of regional cultures where the chieftaincies observe, influence and oppose each other continuously. Mochica terracotta is recognizable by its beige, sometimes ochre, clay and its polished surface. The pieces are moulded from one or more hand-modelled moulds, allowing several copies to be made. Ceramics with a globular body with a stirrup-shaped neck are the most common. Their iconography illustrates a wide variety of motifs such as mythological scenes, prisoner sacrifices, animals, plants, architecture... The type of vase-portrait, little represented in the artistic productions of other pre-Columbian cultures, is characteristic of Mochica art. Very expressive, the faces of these characters are rendered in a naturalistic way. Among the most elaborate works, of which ours is a part, we can mention a similar vase-portrait with a bird's headdress, kept in the Museo Larco in Peru. Good state of conservation *This lot is presented as a temporary import