Huaco with double figure. - Thermoluminiscense Test - CULTURE: Moche, Perú PERIOD: 400-500 AD. MATERIAL: Terracotta DIMENSIONS: Height 20 cm CONDITION: Good condition. Broken and glued stirrup handle. PROVENANCE: Private collection of David Sheridan, Branchburg, New Jersey, was acquired between 1950 and early 2000, through family descent. Arizona Private Collection, formerly Harvey Sarner Collection, Chicago. DOCUMENTATION: Spanish Import license included. DESCRIPTION: The Moche culture inhabited the coast of present-day northern Peru, concentrating in the valleys of Lambayeque, Chicama, Moche and Virú. This desert region is crossed by several rivers that flow down into the Pacific Ocean, where marine resources are plentiful. The Moche produced fine ceramic, textile and precious metal pieces. Their characteristic style can be seen in a wide range of goods such as fire-engraved gourds, wall murals, featherwork art, body painting and tattoos. Their ceramic decoration displays a level of skill that has rarely been surpassed, and included such techniques as incision, bas-relief with stamps, and painting on smooth surfaces. Many were made in state-run workshops that mass-produced pieces from molds. Their ceramics came in a variety of forms and decorative styles and displayed myths and ritual motifs as well. Notable among these earthenware forms were the so-called “portrait bottles”, bottles molded with the face of a well-known Moche figure. These highly detailed facial portraits reflect the Moche’s own use of face paint and/or tattoos, as well as elaborate headdresses. This portrait-making expertise can also be observed in everyday scenes and erotic representations, as well as in figures of individuals that were hunch backed, blind, or suffered from other disorders. They were skillful metalworkers, using gold, copper and silver to make ear ornaments, nose rings, bracelets, necklace beads, tweezers and a variety of tools. Especially notable is the tumi or ceremonial knife that was usually only carried by Moche officials. Many of the motifs adorning early Moche ceramics were derived from the Recuay culture. These two peoples were certainly in contact, as all of the irrigation waters the Moche used in their valleys flowed down from Recuay territory. In the early years, the Moche also had contact with groups of the Salinar and Gallinazo cultures. It is very likely that the Moche disappeared when they were overtaken by the Wari Empire, but their civilization also suffered from long periods of flooding by the El Niño phenomenon, which would have destroyed their farming infrastructure and could have helped precipitate their collapse. The final stage of the Moche culture displays features that would later appear in the Chimú culture. Notes: - The piece includes authenticity certificate. - The piece includes Spanish Export License (Passport for European Union). NOT TAXES. - According to Spanish legislation, items sent outside the European Union are subject to export taxes and will be added to the invoice, at the buyer's expense. These export fees are fixed on the final auction price and the tax rate is not applied directly on the total value of the item to be exported, but rather the different percentages by sections are applied to it: - Up to 6,000 euros: 5%. - From 6.001 to 60.000 euros: 10%. This export permit application process can take between 1-2 months maximum. - The seller guarantees that he acquired this piece according to all national and international laws related to the ownership of cultural property. Provenance statement seen by Catawiki.