Decortype › Ceramics & Porcelain › Earthenware & Ancient Pottery

Moche & Nazca pottery

Americas tradition · 5 examples · indicative market tier: $50k–1M (high collector)

Moche portrait vessels are ceramic vessels featuring individualized and naturalistic representations of human faces that are unique to the Moche culture of Peru. These portrait vessels are among the few realistic portrayals of humans found in the Precolumbian Americas. Wikipedia →

Types & examples

Portrait Head Vessel
Portrait Head Vessel, c. 200–550 CE
Cleveland Museum of Art
Stirrup-spout vessel, Moche culture, Honolulu Museum of Art, 3990
Stirrup-spout vessel, Moche culture, Honolulu Museum of Art, 3990
Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Stirrup-spouted vessel, Moche culture, Honolulu Museum of Art, 6389.1
Stirrup-spouted vessel, Moche culture, Honolulu Museum of Art, 6389.1
Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Moche - Feline Effigy Stirrup Vessel - Walters 482843
Moche - Feline Effigy Stirrup Vessel - Walters 482843
Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Moche - Feline Effigy Stirrup Vessel - Walters 482843 - Side
Moche - Feline Effigy Stirrup Vessel - Walters 482843 - Side
Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Where to buy

1stDibsHigh-end antiques & design marketplaceBrowse listings → LiveAuctioneersAggregated live auctions worldwideBrowse listings → InvaluableAuction-house listings & price archiveBrowse listings → Christie'sMajor-auction results & upcoming salesBrowse listings → EtsyLiving artisans & vintage dealersBrowse listings → eBayBroad secondary market — vet sellers carefullyBrowse listings →

Each link opens a live, image-rich search for this craft on that marketplace. Listings rotate constantly; authenticate significant pieces independently — attribution quality varies widely outside museum collections.