Detail View: The AMICA Library: Vessel with Deity Mask
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AMICA ID:
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CMA_.2002.67
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AMICA Library Year:
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2003
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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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Central Mexico? (Las Bocas, Puebla?), Olmec, Early Formative Period, 1200-900 BC
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Creator Name-CRT:
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Central Mexico? (Las Bocas, Puebla?), Olmec, Early Formative Period, 1200-900 BC
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Title:
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Vessel with Deity Mask
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Title Type:
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Primary
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View:
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Detail
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Creation Date:
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1200-900 BC
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Creation Start Date:
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-1200
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Creation End Date:
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-900
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Materials and Techniques:
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ceramic and traces of pigment
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Classification Term:
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Ceramic
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Style or Period:
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Central Mexico? (Las Bocas, Puebla?), Olmec, Early Formative Period, 1200-900 BC
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Dimensions:
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Overall: 17.9cm x 16.5cm x 15.3cm
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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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2002.67
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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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Though it appears more mask than vessel, the top and sides of this ceramic are formed by an inverted, U-shaped container once filled through an oval opening above the brow. Attached to this unusual shape is a sheet of clay modeled as a deity mask, startling in its raw power: pierced eyes glare out from within the shadow of a furrowed, muscular brow; the chin juts aggressively; and the mouth opens in a shriek, part-bird and part-jaguar. This may be the face of the Olmec god of rain, the inspiration for much Olmec ritual and many astonishingly inventive and accomplished works of art. The vessel may come from a grave or a buried offering.
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Related Image Identifier Link:
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CMA_.2002.67det02.tif
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