COLLECTION NAME:
The AMICA Library
Record
AMICA ID:
CMA_.1965.20
AMICA Library Year:
2000
Object Type:
Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
Creator Nationality:
North American; Central American; Mesoamerican; Teotihuacán
Creator Name-CRT:
Mexico, Teotihuacan
Title:
Basin
Title Type:
Primary
View:
Full View
Creation Date:
400-750
Creation Start Date:
400
Creation End Date:
750
Materials and Techniques:
earthenware with fresco
Classification Term:
Ceramic
Classification Term:
Ceramic
Style or Period:
Mexico, Teotihuacan
Dimensions:
Diameter: 35cm
AMICA Contributor:
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Owner Location:
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
ID Number:
1965.20
Credit Line:
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Context:
This is one of the largest and most beautiful fresco-decorated vessels surviving from Teotihuacan. The vessel was constructed of clay and allowed to partially dry before the interior and underside were burnished. The exterior walls were left unpolished to facilitate the plaster's adhesion. After the vessel's firing, a coating of plaster was applied and painted with mineral pigments while still moist. The result is a brilliantly colored but fragile painted surface. The principal motif is a feathered rattlesnake (called Quetzalcoatl by the later Aztecs) with dangling human hearts and eyes surrounded by green disks. The subject matter probably relates to agricultural fertility, symbolized by the luxurious green of quetzal feathers and jade, along with the wet, glistening eyes.
Related Image Identifier Link:
CMA_.1965.20.tif
