Tetrapod Bowl with Lid

Item number 64.217a-b from the Brooklyn Museum.

Public

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Data
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Description

Tetrapod bowl with lid, with residue of red and white pigments. On lid, modeled depictions include a water bird with a fish in its mouth, wings to the side, and at the back, a glyph meaning "anus." Four modeled legs represent peccaries with their snouts flat against the ground. Condition: The vessel is in stable condition. The lid has been broken and repaired (see updated conservation treatment report).

Credit Line

Ella C. Woodward Memorial Fund

Label

Ancient Maya art often refers to the structure of the universe, conceived as three vertical levels: the celestial upper world of supernatural beings and ancestors, the earthly middle world of human beings, and the watery underworld of the dead.

The water bird on the lid of this vessel symbolizes the underworld, and the design on its beak signifies a portal to the supernatural realm. The four modeled legs of the vessel are four nose-down heads of peccaries (a type of pig), possibly representing the four pillars of the world, corresponding to the four cardinal directions.

Item History

Made between 350 and 450

What

Name: Tetrapod Bowl with Lid
Identification Number: 64.217a-b
Type of Item: bowl and lid
Material: ceramic and pigment
Measurements: “Overall with Lid: 13 x 11 1/4 x 11 1/4 in. (33 x 28.6 x 28.6 cm)” ?