Stirrup Vessel with Incised Designs

This “stirrup-spout” vessel has been highly polished and incised with face of a supernatural creature shown in profile. It seems to combine elements of some of ancient Peru’s fiercest predators, with an eye (at top) which is hooded like that of a crocodile, but the prominent fangs of a feline, probably a jaguar. Cupisnique ceramics frequently show jaguars and felines, which were symbols of power associated with rulers.

The “stirrup spout” was one of the most common vessel forms in pre-Columbian Peru and the Andean area. A short spout at the top is attached to two tubes which join with the vessel itself. The form is reminiscent of a stirrup for horseback riding, hence the name. The resulting container was beautiful and versatile, since the main vessel could be shaped into many different forms, with a surface that was either carefully polished or highly textured. These vessels were also practical: in the extremely dry deserts of Peru, such a narrow opening prevented evaporation of the liquid held within. The complex shape of the neck also meant that it was easy to carry: two such vessels could be tied to the ends of a cord, to be slung over a person’s shoulder or a llama’s back. Large numbers of vessels like these have been found in burials of elites on the north Coast of Peru beginning about 1800 BCE.

Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.

[Dr. Ernest Lira, Houston and Denver (?), or Dr. Peter Almendariz, Denver (?), or M. Brenner, Geneva (?)]; Paul Shepard, Tucson, Arizona [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Economos Works of Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Private collection, 1988, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 2009, by gift.