Spouted Jar

Spouted Jar

A.D. 900-1600
Culture
Muisca
Locale
Eastern Cordillera
Country
Colombia
Object
bottle
Medium
Earthenware with colored slips
Accession Number
1986.102
Credit Line
1985 Christmas Fund purchase
Spouted Jar. A.D. 900-1600. Earthenware with colored slips. 1985 Christmas Fund purchase. 1986.102.
Dimensions
height: 12.25 in, 31.1150 cm; width: 10 in, 25.4000 cm
Department
Mayer Center, Arts of the Ancient Americas
Collection
Arts of the Ancient Americas
Spouted Jar Muisca A.D. 900–1600 Colombia, Eastern Cordillera Earthenware with colored slips 1985 Christmas Fund purchase, 1986.102 The Muisca, who inhabited Colombia’s central plateau region, near modern-day Bogotá, are best known for their gold work. Many lost-wax cast gold figurines were made as votive offerings, to be placed in shrines or sacred locations such as caves or springs. Such figurines are usually flat, with limbs, clothing, and accessories rendered by fine strands of gold. Muisca ceramic jars with round bodies, strap handles, and cylindrical spouts are known as múcuras. The spout may be modeled as a human figure or head, with brown painted decoration that extends to the vessel’s shoulder. The face on this jar is delicately modeled, with a high, narrow nose, and slit eyes and mouth. Three small modeled creatures (fish, or crustaceans?) appear on the jar’s shoulders and neck.

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