Vase-portrait with stirrup handle depicting a nobleman weari - Lot 434

Vase-portrait with stirrup handle depicting a nobleman wearing a double-panel bonnet, a headband around his forehead with a feline's head in the center, and large earrings. A lesion can be seen in the mouth. presenting a lesion in the mouth due to leishmaniasis. Height: 26.5 cm Length: 14 cm Mochica culture, ca. 100-700 A.D. Peru. Lot n°29, sale of 02/12/1992 This vase-portrait bears witness to the diseases that Andean peoples had to put up with as best they could. In this case, the disease in question is leishmaniasis, causing ulcerated facial lesions transmitted by mosquitoes. It seems that such people belong to a group of musicians and dancers often associated with funeral rituals. For similar examples, see the exhibition catalog "Les rois Mochica. Divinité et pouvoir dans le Pérou ancien", Musée d'ethnographie de Genève, coed. Somogy/MEG, Geneva, 272 pages, 2014. Provenance: collection of Monsieur P.