Artwork
Bowl
Artist
Unknown
DepartmentLatin American Art
CultureAztec
Dateca. A.D. 900-1520
MediumEarthenware with paint
Dimensions2 × 7 in. (5.1 × 17.8 cm)
Credit LineSan Antonio Museum of Art, gift of Mrs. Ellen Quillin
Object number54.62.3
GeographyGeneral regionNorth and Central America
DescriptionEarthenware bowl with red paint or slip geometric designs that cover the interior of the vessel. Finish of the interior is matte.Label TextThis painted bowl represents one of the most common type of earthenware vessel made by the Mexica (Aztec). Geometric motifs such as those seen here dominated over naturalistic decorations, which only gained popularity late in the chronology of the empire. This type of bowl would have been used in households of all economic and social statuses. (Bernadette Cap, 2022)Provenancewith Ellen Dorothy Quillin (1892-1970) by 1952; by gift to the Witte Museum, San Antonio, TX; by transfer to the San Antonio Museum of Art, 1994Published ReferencesKelker, Nancy L, and San Antonio Museum Association. America before Columbus: Pre-Columbian Art in the Collection of the San Antonio Museum Association (San Antonio: San Antonio Museum Association, 1985), 117.Not on view
Collections
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.
