Double-spout-and bridge vessel with bottle with bridge handle and with representation of a diver searching for seashells

Originating from the depths of the warm seas of Ecuador, the Spondylus and Strombus shells were considered important ritual objects and were used as sacred offerings for the gods. These mollusks –extracted by divers who could stay underwater for several minutes– appear in northern coast art in naturalist versions or as animated representations taking part in complex supernatural marine fights. This unique double spout bottle with bridge handle represents a mythological scene where a character with a belt of snakes collects sea shells in the presence of the Strombus Devil. Because of its attributes this figure could be related to the Aia Paec divinity, the most important deity in the Mochica’s world view. In this piece it is possible to distinguish iconographic elements of the artistic traditions of the Mochica, the Huari and the Lambayeque cultures.