Fox Runner Effigy Vessel
Moche
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
The anthropomorphic fox on this effigy vessel wears a large disc headdress associated with the Ritual Runners, figures shown racing through the desert landscape in many examples of Moche art. Similar discs in gold and copper have been found in elite burials, suggesting that the Ritual Runners were a high-ranking group of adult males, possibly priests, who participated in special ceremonies throughout the Moche territory. Scholars believe that Moche priests consumed the hallucinogenic San Pedro cactus (Echinopsis pachanoi) to transform themselves into animal spirit helpers such as the fox.
Caption
Moche. Fox Runner Effigy Vessel, ca. 400–700. Ceramic, pigments, 10 3/4 x 5 3/4 x 8 7/8 in. (27.3 x 14.6 x 22.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Eugene Schaefer, 36.332. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Tags
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Culture
Title
Fox Runner Effigy Vessel
Date
ca. 400–700
Geography
Place found: North Coast, Peru
Medium
Ceramic, pigments
Classification
Dimensions
10 3/4 x 5 3/4 x 8 7/8 in. (27.3 x 14.6 x 22.5 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Eugene Schaefer
Accession Number
36.332
Frequent Art Questions
Tell me more.
This is probably one of my favorite objects in this gallery!It’s really cool! Why is it one of your favorites?The Moche, the culture that produced this work, are best known for their ceramics which are rich in imagery that reflect aspects of their everyday life and religious beliefs.This seated, fox-headed human, is shown wearing the headdress of Moche Ritual Runners. Running between the valley's along Peru's North Coast was actually a way of relaying messages throughout the Moche kingdom. However, depictions of runner's which incorporate animal features like this one are likely conveying runners with a more symbolic role. This vessel may even represent a shaman in transformation.
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