Moche Dolphin Vessel

The art of the Moche people inspires Walter Jose Acosta to replicate a handsome huaco shaped like a dolphin. Featuring pointed teeth and holding knives in its fins, the dolphin is portrayed as a hunter. Acosta crafts the impressive sculpture by hand with ceramic and natural pigments for color. The piece is treated to appear like an aged piece. 

"The message Walter Jose Acosta want his art to convey is that “our ancestors crafted beautiful and complex pieces with only their hands as tools, without the kind of technology we have nowadays. Through their work, they expressed all that they saw and wondered about from their environment, their thoughts, and beliefs. Clay was their medium. I feel that Peruvian ceramic art is a way to communicate with our ancestors and to keep them alive for the coming generations.”

The Pre-Columbian Moche civilization is particularly noted for their elaborately painted ceramics, some of which are on display in Dumbarton Oaks' Museum exhibition A Beautiful Dichotomy;  Contrasting Pre-Columbian Peruvian Ceramics.

Weight:  1.7 lbs

Dimensions:  6.75" H x 5.25" W x 12" D

Signed Ceramic

Made in Peru.