Tripod jaguar effigy vessel, ca. 1000 - 1500 AD ·  Costa Rica, Guanacaste-Nicoya · ID: 3053013

Description

ceramic, pataky polychrome style (creamy white slip, painted in orange-red, black, and gray-brown),

The legs of these vessels were usually hollow and filled with clay pellets that rattled when shaken. Characteristic are the intricate patterns in black slip with reddish-orange accents, decorating the chest as well as the arms and legs of the jaguar. As a nocturnal hunter, the jaguar was regarded as a sun-devouring deity.

Comparing literature

Alcina, José, Die Kunst des Alten Amerika, Freiburg 1982, ill. 163

Notices

This object is subject to the UNESCO Cultural Heritage Protection Act. Export documents are required for export (subjected to a fee).