Bottle · Early Intermediate Period
Moche stirrup-spout bottle
100–800 CE, Moche
The Moche stirrup-spout bottle is the signature vessel of the north coast of Peru, about 100 to 800 CE, with an arched stirrup handle and a single spout, mould-made and painted in red and cream or sculpted as a portrait head, animal or scene. Stirrup shape dates it across five phases. It is the most looted and most collected Andean ceramic.
| Object | Bottle |
|---|---|
| Dates | 100–800 CE |
| Period | Early Intermediate Period |
| Cultures | Moche |
| Regions | South America — Andes |
Diagnostic traits
Mould-made bottle with an arched stirrup handle and single spout; fine-line painted or sculpted as portrait or effigy.
Identification
Moche bottles are red and cream slipped with fine-line painting or naturalistic modelling, unlike Chavín stirrup bottles, which are monochrome with thick spouts, and Chimú blackware, which is later and mould-made in black. The stirrup profile and spout lip shape are phase diagnostics. Portrait vessels are a hallmark.
Reproductions and fakes
Heavily faked in Trujillo and Lima from ancient and modern moulds; fakes have clean slip, no salt bloom or root marks and often absurd subjects. Repainting of genuine vessels is common. Thermoluminescence and provenance are required.
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Moche stirrup-spout bottle" (Artifact type). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/types/moche-stirrup-spout-bottle. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-moche-stirrup-spout-bottle,
title = {Moche stirrup-spout bottle},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/types/moche-stirrup-spout-bottle}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, commons. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.