Chocolate Jar
This jar was probably used to store cacao beans and once had a lockable iron lid (only the collar remains). Its blue-and-white decoration features stylized birds that recall the Chinese motif of a phoenix (fenghuang) transformed into a quetzal, an extravagantly plumed bird considered sacred by many Mesoamerican peoples. This detail could represent the misinterpretation of a Chinese phoenix or the intentional accommodation of a local meaning.
Artwork Details
- Title: Chocolate Jar
- Date: ca. 1700
- Geography: Made in Puebla, Mexico
- Culture: Mexican
- Medium: Tin-glazed earthenware, iron
- Dimensions: H. 10 1/4 in. (26 cm)
- Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Robert W. de Forest, 1911
- Object Number: 11.87.7
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
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Master Potter A
ca. 1650
Mexican
1700–1750
Unknown
ca. 1700
Unknown
ca. 1750
Mexican
ca. 1675–1700
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