Stirrup Vessel Depicting Supernatural Being within a Shell c. 100 - 500

Editor: This striking ceramic piece is titled "Stirrup Vessel Depicting Supernatural Being within a Shell," made by the Moche people around 100 to 500 AD. The intricate details, the narrative conveyed… it feels so delicate yet strong. What stands out to you the most about this work? Curator: Well, given its materiality and form, I immediately consider the labor involved in its creation and use. The ceramic itself, where did they source the clay? What were the firing processes available to them? Editor: That's fascinating. I hadn’t considered the practical side of its creation. Curator: Absolutely. The smooth finish and refined imagery suggest skilled craftsmanship. But let’s think beyond aesthetics: how did the Moche society value skilled labor, and how does this vessel reflect their relationship with resource extraction, production, and even perhaps, trade networks for materials and the vessel itself? And does the "supernatural being" impact this value as a commodity? Editor: So, viewing the vessel not just as a decorative or ritual object but as an object embedded in economic and social systems of the time. Curator: Exactly! What kind of social stratification can we glean from the fact that someone created this vessel and others perhaps only witnessed it? I'm also thinking, given its function as a vessel, what did it contain? Was its contents mundane or exclusive? Editor: It's like peeling back layers. Seeing the material, considering its making, allows a peek into the cultural landscape. Curator: Precisely. It urges us to critically examine not just what it represents, but the hands that shaped it, the resources that fueled its creation, and the broader cultural context that imbued it with meaning and value. And this materially driven knowledge of an ancient civilization that perhaps has not remained intact in a textual sense gives us something tactile, functional and historical to grasp at.