Room E1, Vitrine E4
Ceramic
Mochica
Peruvian Northern Coast
Florescent Epoch (1 AD – 800 AD)
ML004209, ML004240, ML004355
The woman in the interior of these bowls is there to receive fluids. The liquid poured from the bowl disappears as it is absorbed by the woman’s body, leaving the bowl dry and the body of the woman moistened.
On the bottle with an arched handle, the body of a woman in a similar position can be seen. In this case she is holding her legs in a gesture that is also seen in some depictions of the sexual act. Interestingly, in this sculptural vessel the arch connects the woman’s heart with her vagina, two organs associated with blood flow, creating a circuit through which fluids and air can pass through this ceremonial bottle.
The position of the women’s bodies in these pottery objects is similar to those seen in depictions of women in some sacrifice scenes associated with the burial of ancestors.