"I have every confidence in the dealer"

Uh-oh.

quam-antiquum Nov 30 #97668
I bought this piece about a month ago as a Moche vessel. I have every confidence in the dealer I purchased it from and trust that it is indeed ancient, but I can't find any analog for it in Moche art and culture. Could someone help me identify this, or perhaps point me to other examples that I haven't been able to find? Is there a name for vessels of this type?

The dealer is not named, nor (red flag) is any mention made of collection history/documentation. Reply from other forum member:

PeregrineNov 30 #97669 It looks a lot like an African pipe bowl; follow link for examples: https://pipemuseum.nl/en/de-graslanden-van-kameroen

Mmmm. And indeed it is. And not necessarily "ancient". This was an example of a "trusted" dealer that knows his or her stuff, eh? Where do they pluck their cultural attributions from? Thin air? And collectors, do they really know what they are doing, actually?