Object Name: Stirrup spout bottle
Cultural Group: Moche style
Place of Origin: North coast, Peru
Date: 100-800 C.E.
Dimensions: W: 16.0 cm, H: 30.2 cm, D: 16.0 cm (W: 6.3 in, H: 11.9 in, D: 6.3 in)
Credit line and Accession Number: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert L. Lucas Jr. X86.3934

This scene is of a type known as ”The Supernatural Confrontation” where one figure often grasps another by the hair. Notice the human-like supernatural being who grabs the hair of a fox-headed, anthropomorphized fish. Nearby, another supernatural confronts an anthropomorphized sea urchin. Works from this later phase in the development of Moche ceramic vessels demonstrate the ability of artists to paint increasingly fine lines and more complex scenes than in earlier periods.

Source: Gallery text, Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives, 2006