on one bottle, a three-dimensional standing 昀椀gure has performed as battles between a curandero and malevo- 18 the deep wrinkles, fanged mouth, feline headdress, lent forces? Or are the frequent oppositional pairings and snake-headed belt seen in other representations in ancient Peruvian ceramics about capturing dramatic of Wrinkle Face (昀椀g. 25). Often shown in sacri昀椀ce moments that distill existential or cosmic struggles? and combat scenes, he is seen here holding a tumi (a In the centuries after the fall of the Moche civiliza- crescent-bladed sacri昀椀cial knife) in his left hand, and with tion, the Chimú kingdom rose and conquered most of the his right hand he appears to be tossing back an open- Paci昀椀c coast from present-day Ecuador to the modern mouthed 昀椀sh head, presumably just removed from the Peruvian capital of Lima. By this time, the use of molds body that now lies in front of him on the platform (昀椀g. 26). was widespread across the Andes, and potters produced A second vessel, a blackware stirrup-spout bottle—the large quantities of vessels, resulting in a certain stylistic bottle’s limited chamber is entirely perfunctory, serving homogeneity. Gray-black ceramics 昀椀red in a reducing here largely as a platform for the dramatic action—seems atmosphere became the signature ware of the Chimú. to present a reversal of fortune, as Wrinkle Face is supine Little attention was paid to the forms after they were on the platform and struggles for control of a war club removed from the molds beyond a careful burnishing of with a 昀椀shlike creature shown leaning over him (昀椀g. 27). the surface, often resulting in a high gloss that resembles Should we view these combat scenes through the lens the sheen of silver, which by this period had become, of the contemporary healing practices described above, along with other precious metals, the prestige medium 26. Detail of stirrup-spout bottle with decapitation scene (昀椀g. 25) 27