Miniature Vessel in the Form of a Portrait Head with Painted Cheeks c. 100 - 500

This miniature vessel in the form of a portrait head was made by the Moche people of ancient Peru. The Moche flourished in the northern coast of Peru from about 200 to 850 AD, a society with a complex social hierarchy, skilled artisans, and elaborate rituals. The Moche are particularly known for their ceramics, which were not only utilitarian objects, but also served as vital tools for cultural expression. This portrait vessel gives us a glimpse into the Moche’s worldview. The face is painted with striking geometric patterns that reflect the Moche’s practice of body art. The vessel’s form suggests how the human and the functional were intertwined in Moche society. These vessels were often placed in tombs as offerings, suggesting beliefs about the afterlife. What does it mean to transform a human face into a vessel? This artistic decision invites us to reflect on the fluidity of identity, the porous boundary between the individual and the communal. It blurs the lines between the sacred and the everyday, and the tangible and the spiritual.