MAG Collection - Jaguar Vessel

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photography by John Strand

Jaguar Vessel

1000-1350
Precolumbian
14 x 9 3/4 x 11 1/2 in. (35.6 x 24.8 x 29.2 cm)

Greater Nicoya artist
Costa Rica

Greater Nicoya Culture Zone; made in Costa Rica

Object Type: Ceramics

Medium and Support: Clay, pigment

Credit Line: Marion Stratton Gould Fund

Accession Number: 1969.90

Location: Currently on view

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This vessel has all the features of a jaguar: ferocious snarling face, sharp teeth, long tail and golden black-spotted coat. The hollow legs and the mouth contain small clay balls that rattle when the jar is shaken, in imitation of the jaguar’s growl. Admired for their strength and agility, jaguars were a powerful and ubiquitous symbol frequently adopted by shamans as an alter-ego. Here the jaguar is depicted in a human-like crouch with the “hands” placed on the knees – a position not possible for this animal. In fact, what we’re witnessing is a typical meditation pose of a shaman and the transformation into his/her animal form.
[Gallery label text, 2009]

Provenance

Dr. Henry Buxbaum (1900-1979), Canandaigua, NY; purchased from him by the Gallery in 1969

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Pre-Columbian art of Central & South America

vessels

cats

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Bibliography

This object has the following bibliographic references:

Article Title: Acquisitions. Article Scope: Article. Memorial Art Gallery. Gallery Notes. Rochester, NY: Memorial Art Gallery, 1935-1995. Volume Number: 35, Issue Number: 7. Issue Date: March 1970.

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This object is a member of the following portfolios:

Ancient Americas

Ceramics

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Odyssey Online Explore jaguars in pre-Columbian art in this website for students jointly created by the Memorial Art Gallery and Emory University's Carlos Museum.

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