Lidded Bowl with Iguana
At the time of the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, Costa Rican mythology linked iguanas to the sky and to rulers. The earlier makers of this vessel left no written records, but they may have had similar beliefs. The lizard poses as though basking in the sun, a celestial body, and assumes an aggressive stance that could be likened to a ruler's: the teeth and chin under the dewlap are displayed, Also, fine ceramics like this were buried in the graves of the high-status dead, some of them certainly leaders of the several groups that competed in the area.
Details
- Palette
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Select a color to find related artworks.
- Medium
- ceramic, slip
- Dimensions
- base: height 0.151 m, width 0.35 m; lid: height 0.299 m, width 0.38 m
- Department
- Art of the Americas
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Image provider
- cleveland-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund
Art Genome Taxonomy
7 tags
Subject Matter
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Animals Both · 99%
The title identifies an iguana, and the image clearly shows a modeled lizard with a raised head, open mouth, limbs, claws, and a prominent dewlap.
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Zoomorphism Visual · 97%
The lid incorporates a three-dimensional animal form into the structure of a ceramic vessel, making the object zoomorphic in design.
Medium and Techniques
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Glass and Ceramics Both · 96%
The cataloged medium is ceramic, and the image shows a ceramic vessel with a modeled and textured lid rather than a work in another medium.
Geographic Regions
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Central American Art Metadata · 98%
The documented place of origin is Costa Rica’s Southern Nicoya region, which places the object within the geographic category of Central American art.
Materials
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Ceramic Both · 99%
The museum specifies ceramic with slip, while the image visibly presents a fired-clay vessel with contrasting slipped surfaces and modeled decoration.
Cultural and Religious Styles
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Pre-Columbian Art Interpretive · 93%
The object dates to centuries before the 16th-century Spanish conquest referenced in the museum description, supporting its classification as pre-Columbian art.
Tableware, Vessels, and Objects
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Bowl Both · 99%
The museum identifies the work as a lidded bowl, and the image shows a broad rounded bowl body with a fitted conical lid.
Source & rights
Unknown artist. Lidded Bowl with Iguana. Cleveland Museum of Art.