Detail View: The AMICA Library: Basin
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AMICA ID:
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CMA_.1965.20
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AMICA Library Year:
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2000
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Object Type:
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Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
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Creator Nationality:
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North American; Central American; Mesoamerican; Teotihuacán
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Creator Name-CRT:
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Mexico, Teotihuacan
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Title:
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Basin
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Title Type:
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Primary
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View:
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Full View
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Creation Date:
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400-750
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Creation Start Date:
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400
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Creation End Date:
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750
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Materials and Techniques:
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earthenware with fresco
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Classification Term:
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Ceramic
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Classification Term:
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Ceramic
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Style or Period:
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Mexico, Teotihuacan
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Dimensions:
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Diameter: 35cm
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AMICA Contributor:
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The Cleveland Museum of Art
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Owner Location:
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Cleveland, Ohio, USA
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ID Number:
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1965.20
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Credit Line:
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Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
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Rights:
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Context:
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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.
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Related Image Identifier Link:
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CMA_.1965.20.tif
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