by Susan Lucke, Collections Manager & Registrar for the Art, Design & Architecture Museum, UCSB.
Art collections housed at university museums offer a treasure trove of unusual albeit valuable objects. And since they usually lack adequate funds to purchase objects comprehensively, university art museums often rely on the generosity of donors to provide objects to build their collections.
The AD&A Museum at UC Santa Barbara is no exception.
One such work is a Moche (100 CE to 800 CE) portrait vessel (replica) gifted in 1968. Upon my first interaction with this vessel, I was stunned that the museum would house such an obvious fake and quickly shoved it to the back of shelf. But I have come to learn over the years that this work has made a big impression on the students and has expanded the concept of a true learning experience.
Alicia Boswell, Assistant Professor, History of Art & Architecture and Vice Director, Latin American & Iberian Studies Program, often uses objects from the museum’s collections for course study and has included this vessel in her class teachings.
Dubbing it Mr. Smiley Man, Rhiannon Gonzales from Professor Boswell’s Art History 187A examines the importance of what it can offer :
“Mr. Smiley Man” opens the door to discussions about the cultural significance of Moche portrait vessels, the influence of modern replicas on our understanding of ancient art, and the humor in his existence. Why do these objects captivate us? What do they reveal about how we value history and its authenticity? And what can his uncanny smile teach us about the stories we choose to tell about the past? Although this object is a clear replica and by no means a legitimate vessel, its representation goes beyond its physical appearance.
Most ancient civilizations developed some form of human portrayal in their art, whether that was through generic depictions of a person or symbolic elements through caricatures with accompanying script. However, of all the civilizations that developed in the Americas prior to European contact, only Moche perfected true portraiture and produced it in large quantities (Christopher B. Donnan, Moche Portraits From Ancient Peru (University of Texas Press, 2004), 3) of lifelike depictions of human faces, often believed to represent elite individuals such as rulers, warriors, or priests.
And there you go! I had my answer!
I now put Mr. Smiley Man at the front of the shelf.