Vessel with sea lion and possibly a feline,

500–750 CE

Mochica ceramic vessels are well-known for their sensitive portraiture, fine-line narrative, and encyclopedic range of subject matter. This fully modeled vessel, decorated with red and cream slips, portrays a sea lion, a creature that inhabited the same coastal regions as the Mochica. The hunting of sea lions is a common subject in fine-line narrative vessels, where individuals dressed in military garb bash the animals with clubs. The tail of this sea lion fluidly transforms into the head of a feline or otter, suggesting a ritual rather than hunting theme. Based upon the peanut-shaped spots on the sea lion's body, it may be conjectured that the rear head belongs to a jaguar, since neither sea lions nor otters native to the region have such markings. The outward-flaring spout diverges from the standard stirrup-spout. In combination with the size and shape of the vessel body, this spout form does not seem practical for pouring liquids, so the vessel probably served a ritual function, perhaps as a burial offering.