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Source Description
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.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
159279
label
Lid of Bowl with Iguana
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
159279
contentType
object
title
Lid of Bowl with Iguana
description
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.
date
c. 600–1100 (Thermoluminescence date, 995–1395)
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60750046
genreSpecific
Ceramic
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Lid: 29.9 x 38.1 cm (11 3/4 x 15 in.); Lappets: 29.9 x 38.1 cm (11 3/4 x 15 in.)
cul
Costa Rica, Southern Nicoya region
accession
1995.72.b
Source extras
tec
ceramic, slip
tombstone
Lid of Bowl with Iguana, c. 600–1100 (Thermoluminescence date, 995–1395). Costa Rica, Southern Nicoya region. Ceramic, slip; lid: 29.9 x 38.1 cm (11 3/4 x 15 in.); lappets: 29.9 x 38.1 cm (11 3/4 x 15 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund, 1995.72.b
collection
AA - Intermediate Region
didYouKnow
Green iguanas can grow to be over 6 feet long.
creditline
Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:15:32.240000
sourceId
159279
dept
Art of the Americas
coll
AA - Intermediate Region
med
ceramic, slip
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
792cebf6f77c29d2