offering-vessel
- Museum number
- Am1926,-.22
- Description
-
Offering vessel made of tecalli (in this case calcite onyx), in the form of an ocelot. The eyes and mouth of the vessel were probably once inlaid with semi precious shell or stone and the two depressions hollowed in the back were used to place offerings.
- Production date
- 400-600 (circa)
- Dimensions
-
Diameter: 33 centimetres
-
Height: 16 centimetres
-
Width: 21 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- McEwan 2009
This offering vessel represents an ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), the largest of a number of highland species of small wild cat that grows up to a metre in length, has a long tail and fur patterned like that of a jaguar. Fashioned from a single block of prestigious white alabaster, it emphasizes the flat surfaces and formal geometric elements found on many Teotihuacan stone funerary masks, imparting a distinctive "corporate" style to the architecture and sculpture from this site.
- Location
- On display (G27/dc4)
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
1977 London, BM, Animals in Art
2002, London, Royal Academy, Aztecs
2003, Berlin, Martin-Gropius-Bau, Aztecs
- Acquisition date
- 1926
- Department
- Africa, Oceania and the Americas
- Registration number
- Am1926,-.22
- Additional IDs
-
CDMS number: Am1926C3.22 (old CDMS no.)
