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stirrup spout
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Ceramic vessel shaped like a human head, featuring a decorated headdress, large ear ornaments, and an arched spout and handle on top.
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stirrup spout

Mochica vessel
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Ceramic vessel shaped like a human head, featuring a decorated headdress, large ear ornaments, and an arched spout and handle on top.
stirrup spout vessel The Andean civilization known as the Moche (Mochica) once flourished on the northern coast of what is now Peru. The Moche produced fine pottery, including ceramic vessels with characteristic stirrup spouts. This Moche vessel in the form of a portrait head is housed in the British Museum.

The stirrup spout is a distinctive feature found on many pottery jars from South America, particularly from cultures in the Andes region like the Mochica and Nazca in Peru. These vessels often depict human heads, animals, or plants, showcasing remarkable naturalism and skilled craftsmanship. The Mochica culture, flourishing around the 7th century CE, is renowned for its portrait jars with stirrup spouts, which offer insights into their ceremonial and daily life. The Nazca people, contemporary to the Mochica, also used stirrup spouts, often joining two spouts with a flat bridge, and are known for their vibrant painted decorations.12

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  1. pottery - South America
  2. Moche

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