Jar in the Form of an Abstract Figure with Modeled Head and Wide Collar c. 100 - 500

Editor: Here we have an earthenware jar, roughly from 100 to 500 CE, crafted by the Moche people. It depicts an abstract figure with a modeled head, and it’s currently held at the Art Institute of Chicago. The figure has an intense gaze… What do you make of this intriguing vessel? Curator: Well, the Moche were master ceramicists, weren’t they? The symbolic weight of these portrait vessels is extraordinary. This one, in particular, holds power. Think of it, an individual commemorated in clay, their essence, perhaps, preserved, accessible across centuries. Notice the headgear, it indicates status, position. What kind of narratives could have surrounded it? Editor: It feels… very present. Do you think these vessels served a ritualistic purpose? Curator: Undoubtedly. Ritual, ceremony, daily life— all interconnected. Visual symbols like the geometric patterns around the figure's "shoulders" weren't just decoration, they had symbolic value within their society. Editor: The intensity of the gaze, though, is what really captures me. It's quite striking, like a coded language across time. Curator: Exactly. It served to prompt something that was lost and remained. Memory depends upon continuous performance, I am thankful these artifacts endure, constantly performing the memory of the culture for us to decode. Editor: Thinking about this as more than just a container shifts my whole perception. Thank you for illuminating that. Curator: And thank you for giving us the opportunity to think about these wonderful ancient artifacts again.