Spout Vessel in Form of Snakes Coiling Around a Feline c. 100 - 500

Curator: So, here we have an earthenware sculpture from the Moche culture, sometime between 100 and 500 AD, a culture from ancient Peru. It's listed as a "Spout Vessel in Form of Snakes Coiling Around a Feline.” Editor: It looks...uncomfortable, actually. The coiled snakes constricting the feline body—I immediately sense a narrative of power and restraint at play. The surface, that earthy ceramic, tells a tale of skill and elemental processes, but also forced submission! Curator: Precisely. The labor that went into shaping this thing from malleable clay. To imagine the hands that painstakingly built it, smoothed its surface, added those sinuous snakes one by one. It is a technical endeavor but then transformed into an artful object that represents their social milieu. Editor: Mmm, for me, that feline's face has an oddly detached, almost knowing expression. Those abstracted designs almost resemble scales as well, so there might even be some level of transfiguration going on here, which, of course, would change the intention of it. The maker imbues power to this representation of their world, it feels me. Curator: And it makes you wonder if it held water or something ceremonial; like ritual significance of these creatures or simply a depiction of their world, as it seemed or hoped. The Moche often portrayed their elite in their art as part of an elaborate social dance; sometimes their power, or hopes and anxieties of the everyman are illustrated within it, right there in the clay. Editor: It really asks the question if “vessel” as the label for it does the art justice in its scope! Maybe we should ask people what THEY see… Curator: Absolutely. Art history is often rooted in speculation; perhaps our reflections will inspire our listeners’ perspectives of it. Editor: Indeed! Let's trust in the power of individual connection; material plus vision creating an endless reflection for everyone!