Stirrup-spout Bottle
Date300 BCE-200 CE
Mediumpottery, paint and gold
DimensionsOverall: 8 x 6 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. (20.3 x 16.5 x 14 cm)
ClassificationsContainers
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert M. Bischoff
Object number84.0243.10
DescriptionIthyphallic bound effigy figures were commonly represented from the Olmec of Mesoamerica to the Moche of Peru. Moche vessels of this sort were grave offerings, as was this beautifully preserved example. Errazuriz (1980:168-169) suggests that it is possible these figures represent participants in circumcision or initiation rites, or preparation for marriage, because the glans have been highlighted with red pigment and they wear jewelry, a sign that by primitive standards they are not naked. Prisoners in these cultures were generally stripped of all belongings.
