The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 21, 2024

Lidded Bowl with Iguana

Lidded Bowl with Iguana

c. 600–1100 (Thermoluminescence date, 995–1395)
Base: 15.1 x 35 cm (5 15/16 x 13 3/4 in.); Lid: 29.9 x 38 cm (11 3/4 x 14 15/16 in.)

Did You Know?

Green iguanas can grow to be over 6 feet long.

Description

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 certainly leaders of the several groups that competed in the area.
  • Update on pre-acquisition history pending.
    1995-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Cleveland Museum of Art, “The Cleveland Museum of Art Acquires Major Works,” December 20, 1995, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
    Extrait de la Gazette des Beaux Arts (March, 1996) . p. 55
    "Opening of Pre-Columbian Galleries at Cleveland." Tribal Arts. (Winter, 1997).
    Hopper, Robin. Functional Pottery: Form and Aesthetic in Pots of Purpose. London: A. & C. Black, 2000. p. 106
    May, Sally Ruth, Jane Takac, and Barbara J. Bradley. Knockouts: A Pocket Guide. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2001. pp. 97-98, 220, no. 108
    Cleveland Museum of Art, David Franklin, and C. Griffith Mann. Treasures from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2012. pp. 66-7
  • {{cite web|title=Lidded Bowl with Iguana|url=false|author=|year=c. 600–1100 (Thermoluminescence date, 995–1395)|access-date=21 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1995.72