Detail View: The AMICA Library: Jar with Cut Maguey Leaves

AMICA ID: 
MMA_.1979.206.958
AMICA Library Year: 
2002
Object Type: 
Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
Description: 
Like other ceramic objects from Colima, the subject matter of this vessel was taken directly from the imagery of daily life. The four projecting elements of this pot are representations of a regional food staple, the succulent base of the maguey agave cactus leaf that even today is roasted and sold in the local markets of western Mexico, the area from which this jar came. Other Colima vessels of this type depict piles of fruits and vegetables, such as zapotes and squashes. All are characterized by simple, elegant motifs rendered three-dimensionally and presented in repetition. These ceramics have been found in burial contexts and their shape suggests that they would have held a liquid, perhaps one derived from the object that they depict. In this vessel, the roasted cactus, called mescal, like the fermented beverage produced by it, is depicted as if set in a bowl ready for consumption.
Creator Nationality: 
North American; Central American; Mexican
Creator Name-CRT: 
Colima
Title: 
Jar with Cut Maguey Leaves
View: 
Principal view
Creation Date: 
2nd century B.C.?2nd century A.D.
Creation Start Date: 
-200
Creation End Date: 
199
Materials and Techniques: 
Ceramic
Creation Place: 
Mexico
Dimensions: 
H. 7 in. (17.8 cm)
AMICA Contributor: 
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Owner Location: 
New York, New York
ID Number: 
1979.206.958
Credit Line: 
The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979
Copyright: 
Copyright ? 2002 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. All rights reserved.
Rights: 
Related Image Identifier Link: 
MMA_.h1_1979.206.958.tif