Bowl with Circular Glyphs
Artist:
Unknown
Place made:Guatemala
General region:North and Central America
Culture: Maya
Period: Pre-Columbian
Date: ca. A.D. 750
Medium: Earthenware with paint
Dimensions:
height: 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm)
diameter: 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm)
Credit Line: Museum purchase
Object number: 72.42.14
Provenance: by purchase, Witte Museum Shop, San Antonio, TX, 1972; by transfer to the San Antonio Museum of Art, 1994
Label Text
On this painted bowl, groups of three solid black circles forming an inverted triangle, lines of small black dots, and groups of slashes are symbolic of the jaguar. Jaguars have long been admired for their agility, intelligence, and stealth as the apex predators of the tropical forest, so it is not surprising that rulers sought to associate themselves with the jaguar’s attributes. They wore jaguar pelts and adorned thrones and war banners with them. Interspersed with the jaguar symbols are cacao seeds that appear as painted black ovals with one or two orange lines. Chocolate is made from cacao, a plant native to Mesoamerica. The Maya made a cacao beverage they consumed during ceremonies that solidified royals’ relationships within and between major centers. (Bernadette Cap, 2022)
Not on view
In Collection(s)
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
