Striking ceramic “portrait” vessels from Moche culture in ancient Peru were crafted over 1,500 years ago. In this video, we look at one pre-Columbian portrait vessel to highlight the advanced artistic skills present in South America and provide insights into the cultural history of Moche civilization.

These ceramic sculptures depict human faces so naturalistic that today we understand them as portraying real individuals, specifically elite Moche warriors. This video explores these Andean artworks, how they were made, what they symbolized, and what they reveal about Moche society on Peru’s north coast between 100 and 850 CE.

Speaker: Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank

CHAPTERS

0:00 A Moche Portrait Vessel

0:39 What are Moche portrait vessels?

1:18 Ritualized battle

1:52 Portrait vessels in tombs

2:18 Stirrup-spout vessels and making portrait vessels

2:54 Dating portrait vessels

Learn more

1. Discover more about the Ancient Andes: https://www.artsq.org/ancient-andes

2. Learn more about the global Middle Ages: https://www.artsq.org/medieval-world

3. Check out our entire glossary of art history: https://www.artsq.org/about-key-terms-ideas-art-history