• Reading Public Museum
    Open 11a-5p DailyAdmission
  • Neag Planetarium
    Show ScheduleAdmission
  • Arboretum
    Open everyday from sunrise to sunset
Collections Menu

Stirrup Spout Vessel Depicting a Snail Hunt

Stirrup Spout Vessel Depicting a Snail Hunt

Date: AD 200 - 550 (Early Intermediate Period, Moche III-IV Phases)
Medium: slipped earthenware
Credit Line:Gift, Dr. Daniel Rifkin
Object number: 2006.7.6
The figures on this Moche vessel hold gathering sticks that collect snails depicted in sculpture relief. The snail gathering ritual is taking place on a mountain suggested by the serpentine lines that arc across the top and front of the vessel. The snails absorbed mescaline-based chemicals while feeding on San Pedro cacti, depicted here as the spiny plants growing on top of and between the mountains. Consuming them would have provided a potent hallucinogenic experience and an entry into the spirit world.
In Collection(s)