Due to the sparseness of textile preservation in the region, the Moche are far better known for their ceramic art. Moche ceramics, unlike those of most other Andean cultures, tended to be strikingly realistic. They developed a natural, though often idealized form of true portraiture. Vessels like this one were mold made in the form of a head with a stirrup spout. Many examples of portrait heads are known, and include some 50 recognizable individuals.

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