Single Spout Vessel with Molded Abstract Figure Possibly 1000 - 1476

This molded terracotta vessel was created by the Lambayeque people. Notice how the form integrates the practical with the symbolic, a spout emerging organically from the stylized figure which is also part of the vessel’s structure. The handle is a semi-circle that connects the back of the figure with the body. The surface is smooth, colored with a muted orange-red that speaks to the earth from which it came. The figure itself wears a hat or headdress, its geometric designs contrasting with the more curvilinear body of the vessel, which is structured as a series of stacked, rounded volumes. The design is not merely decorative; it is structural, defining the form and function of the object. Consider how this single spout vessel destabilizes the expectations, inviting us to reconsider the relationship between object and image, between utility and representation. This constant re-interpretation is what keeps the artwork alive.