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Spouted Vessel

13th–15th century
Not on view
The ancient peoples of the state of Veracruz, an area of Mexico on the Gulf Coast, were skilled artists in the clay medium from the second millennium B.C. onward. They created a wide range of imaginative containers and figurative sculptures. The Huasteca region in northern Veracruz, where this vessel is thought to have originated, had a long, sophisticated ceramic tradition, yet it is poorly known archaeologically. The monkey head that adorns the top of the globular chamber has a sharp central crest and round ornaments in each ear. Encircling the pouting mouth and closed eyes is a carefully delineated, raised hairline marked by stippling. Most unusual is the long tassel hanging from the tip of the nose. The meaning of this feature is not known.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Spouted Vessel
  • Date: 13th–15th century
  • Geography: Mexico, Mesoamerica, Veracruz
  • Culture: Huastec
  • Medium: Ceramic
  • Dimensions: H. 9 × Diam. 7 1/2 in. (22.9 × 19.1 cm)
  • Classification: Ceramics-Containers
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Arthur M. Bullowa Bequest, 1998
  • Object Number: 1998.385
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

More Artwork

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Smiling figure (Sonriente), South central Veracruz artist(s), Ceramic, slip, paint, Classic Veracruz
Smiling figure (Sonriente)
South central Veracruz artist(s)
600–1000 CE
Effigy vessel, Huastec artist(s), Ceramic, slip, Huastec
Effigy vessel
Huastec artist(s)
900–1521 CE
Canine vessel, South central Veracruz artist(s), Ceramic, Classic Veracruz
Canine vessel
South central Veracruz artist(s)
600-900 CE
Howling canine, South central Veracruz artist(s), Ceramic, tar paint (chapopote), Classic Veracruz
Howling canine
South central Veracruz artist(s)
600-1000 CE
Lidded bowl with ballgame scenes, Río Blanco artist, Ceramic, slip, paint, Central Veracruz
Lidded bowl with ballgame scenes
Río Blanco artist
500-900 CE

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