Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Gourd-Shaped Bowl
(Ancient Americas )
On the swelling organic form of a gourd, the artist incised curved forms that give the viewer an impression of a monstrous animal. While very abstracted, the design is the head of a crocodilian creature. The stylized and simplified decoration recalls not only hieroglyphs but also the woven patterns of Maya blouses, which serve to identify their wearers’ towns of origin even to the present day.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
J. Guy Puerto [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; John G. Bourne, 1961, by purchase; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 2017.
Exhibitions
| 2012-2013 | Exploring Art of the Ancient Americas: The John Bourne Collection Gift. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville. |
Geographies
Mexico, Campeche (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 4 1/2 x Diam: 5 5/16 in. (11.43 x 13.46 cm)
Credit Line
Bequest of John G. Bourne, 2017
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.
2009.20.274