Lidded Bowl with Iguana
Unknown Artist
c. 600–1100 (Thermoluminescence date, 995–1395)
Medium
ceramic, slip
Dimensions
{"base":{"height":0.151,"width":0.35},"lid":{"height":0.299,"width":0.38}}
Classification
Ceramic
Department
Art of the Americas
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund
Accession Number
1995.72
About this artwork
At the time of the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, Costa Rican mythology linked iguanas to the sky and to rulers. The earlier makers of this vessel left no written records, but they may have had similar beliefs. The lizard poses as though basking in the sun, a celestial body, and assumes an aggressive stance that could be likened to a ruler's: the teeth and chin under the dewlap are displayed, Also, fine ceramics like this were buried in the graves of the high-status dead, some of them cer...