Feline Bowl
Unknown Artist
14th–early 16th century
Medium
Stone
Dimensions
H. 3 × W. 4 3/4 × D. 8 in. (7.6 × 12.1 × 20.3 cm)
Classification
Stone-Containers
Culture
Inca
Department
Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
From the Collection of Nina and Gordon Bunshaft, Bequest of Nina Bunshaft, 1994
Accession Number
1995.63.2
Tags
About this artwork
This remarkable stone bowl demonstrates the sophisticated artistic and technical achievements of Inca civilization during the Late Horizon period (14th to early 16th century). Carved in the form of a feline—likely a puma, which held profound symbolic significance in Andean cosmology—this vessel combines sculptural artistry with utilitarian function as a ceremonial container. Small black stone vessels (conopa) in the form of animals with holes forming small bowls were all intended for ceremonial ...