Moche sculpture of a prisoner (100-800 AD) in the Larco Museum in Lima
Wonderful museum in Lima, showcasing the artistic highlights of the entire Precolombian history of Peru
another Moche sculpture, of a priest (100-800 AD)
The Larco Museum is a private museum established in 1926, by Rafael Larco Hoyle. Larco started with a small collection he received from his father, and continued with purchasing further private collections of illegally acquired artefacts, of the sort dreaded by present-day archaeologists. Apparently, it includes some 50,000 ceramic pots collected privately by a former Peruvian vice president, a room-full of over 2000 year old Paracas weavings, and a fabulous collection of funerary ornaments and headdresses. The entire Pre-Colombian Peruvian history is represented, and arranged thematically, which makes for an interesting and educational experience. There is a separate room with erotic pottery, demonstrating that not all pieces are necessarily of a high artistic standard – although eroticism was nothing strange for the ancient Peruvian societies.
Wonderful museum, with far too many pieces to show here, so these are just a few of my private favourites.
gilded copper headdresses, crowns and breast plates, Vicus culture (1250-100 BC)one of the headdresses in detailthe crown in detailgolden funerary offerings, Chimu culture (1300-1532 AD) – note the time difference with the previous setthe golden brteastplate in detaila turquise and gold breastplate of the Moche (100-800 AD)double-bottle with two owls, Cupisnique culture (1250-100 BC)Nasca vessel with animal, note the modelling and the painting (100-800 AD)a so-called ‘portrait-vessel’, Moche (100-800 AD)and another one – these vessels were true portraits of individual peoplea Chancay vessel with a man (1300-1532 AD)chuchimilco figure, a figure with raised hands found in pairs in funerary tombs, Chancay (1300-1532 AD)a silver crown of the Chimu people (1300-1532 AD)remains of a cloth, Moche-Huari (800-1300 AD)a detail of the cloth to the lefta cloth with supernatural figures and trophy heads, Paracas (1250-100 BC)a detail of the cloth to the left, with trophy heada gilded copper mask on a corpse, Huari (800-1300 AD)funerary bundle head, with cloth and metal, Chancay (1300-1532 AD)
