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Vessel of a Bat Foot with Claws
(Ancient Americas )
The bat appears with notable frequency in the art of Monte Albán and other Zapotec cities in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico. Throughout Mesoamerica, bats were associated with death and sacrifice. In addition to figural funerary urns, forms of bat feet, such as this example, were also prevalent. The particularly long claws of this example are most similar to late variants of the form, leading to the chronological placement near the end of the Classic period of Zapotec culture.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Norman Lane, Albuquerque, New Mexico, prior to March 2006; Austen-Stokes Ancient Americas Foundation [John Stokes as agent], March 28, 2006, by purchase [Arte Primitivo, New York, as agent]; Walters Art Museum, 2007, by gift.
Geographies
Mexico, Oaxaca (Place of Origin)
Measurements
4 1/8 x 7 1/4 in. (10.48 x 18.42 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the Austen-Stokes Ancient Americas Foundation, 2007
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
2006.15.3