Crocodile-form Tripod Bowl

Crocodile-form Tripod Bowl

300 BC-AD 500
Culture
Greater Nicoya
Country
Costa Rica
Style/Tradition
Guinea Incised Guinea Variety
Object
effigy
Medium
Modeled tan clay with orange slip, engraving, and applique.
Accession Number
1993.737
Credit Line
Gift of Frederick and Jan Mayer
Crocodile-form Tripod Bowl. 300 BC-AD 500. Modeled tan clay with orange slip, engraving, and applique.. Gift of Frederick and Jan Mayer. 1993.737.
Dimensions
height: 5 in, 12.7000 cm; width: 7 3/4 in, 19.6850 cm; depth: 9 1/4 in, 23.4950 cm
Department
Mayer Center, Arts of the Ancient Americas
Collection
Arts of the Ancient Americas

The body of the crocodile is a rounded bowl with a short, vertical neck and flaring rim. It is supported by three tapering bulbous legs. Each hollow leg contains rattle pellets, and has two vertical slits. The reptile's modeled, open-mouthed head projects from the front of the bowl, while the tail is a flat, triangular extension of the vessel rim. The mouth displays an array of triangular teeth; atop the snout is a elaborate applique composition that resembles a small animal. The bowl and elements of the face are slipped orange, engraved lines encircle the rim, and an engraved interlace strip ornaments the vessel's neck. --M. Young-Sanchez

Exhibition History
  • "Time and Technology: Scientific Approaches to Costa Rican Prehistory." University Museum, University of Colorado-Boulder, September 15, 1985-January 26, 1986.
  • "Prehistoric Art and Archaeology of Costa Rica." Sangre de Cristo Arts and Conference Center, Pueblo, CO. January 12-February 24, 1990.
  • "Costa Rican Pre-Columbian Art from the Collection of Jan and Frederick R. Mayer." Loveland Museum and Gallery, Loveland, CO, March 22, 1990-May 15, 1990.

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