Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 3 pages
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
"The Feasting Scene" constitutes a unique sculptural ceramic of exceptional quality produced by the Jalisco ceramicists of ancient West Mexico. Four female figures kneeling around a male figure comprise the sculptural assemblage. The figures are arranged on a circular bench supported by six cylindrical legs. The central figure, an imposing chief or cacique holds a tube or pestle in his left hand and an "hacha" or ceremonial axe in his upraised right hand. One female figure, directly facing the "cacique," holds a small shallow bowl in her right hand and a baton in her left hand. Two of the female figures rest a hand on the "cacique," a gesture indicating relatedness. A third figure, to the "cacique's" right, rests one hand on the chief's shoulder and the other on his elbow. The assemblage has been painted with a red and cream clay slip; details on each of the figures are rendered in resist-paint. Conventional to the Jalisco figural style are elongated faces, full rounded legs and torsos, erect posture, and vacant, staring eyes. The figures represent elite persons of West Mexico society as indicated by their ornate crested helmets, shoulder scarification, body and facial tattoos, and ear disks. Their position on a raised bench mirrors the context of circular, elevated platforms characteristic of Jalisco ceremonial architecture. These platforms were also painted red and white. Shaft-and-chamber tombs of high-ranking families have been found below the circular structures. A sculptural ceramic such as this would have been placed in mausolea of this type. This sculptural assemblage likely represents an elite family feasting ritual or commemorates an ancestral tradition. Such rituals involved consumption of fermented beverages by a select few. Sculptures depicting group rituals are extremely rare among the corpus of West Mexico ceramics. "The Feasting Scene" therefore represents a remarkable exception to Jalisco visual art conventions.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
6954
label
Feasting Scene
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
3
Source metadata
id
6954
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Feasting Scene
description
"The Feasting Scene" constitutes a unique sculptural ceramic of exceptional quality produced by the Jalisco ceramicists of ancient West Mexico. Four female figures kneeling around a male figure comprise the sculptural assemblage. The figures are arranged on a circular bench supported by six cylindrical legs. The central figure, an imposing chief or cacique holds a tube or pestle in his left hand and an "hacha" or ceremonial axe in his upraised right hand. One female figure, directly facing the "cacique," holds a small shallow bowl in her right hand and a baton in her left hand. Two of the female figures rest a hand on the "cacique," a gesture indicating relatedness. A third figure, to the "cacique's" right, rests one hand on the chief's shoulder and the other on his elbow. The assemblage has been painted with a red and cream clay slip; details on each of the figures are rendered in resist-paint. Conventional to the Jalisco figural style are elongated faces, full rounded legs and torsos, erect posture, and vacant, staring eyes. The figures represent elite persons of West Mexico society as indicated by their ornate crested helmets, shoulder scarification, body and facial tattoos, and ear disks. Their position on a raised bench mirrors the context of circular, elevated platforms characteristic of Jalisco ceremonial architecture. These platforms were also painted red and white. Shaft-and-chamber tombs of high-ranking families have been found below the circular structures. A sculptural ceramic such as this would have been placed in mausolea of this type. This sculptural assemblage likely represents an elite family feasting ritual or commemorates an ancestral tradition. Such rituals involved consumption of fermented beverages by a select few. Sculptures depicting group rituals are extremely rare among the corpus of West Mexico ceramics. "The Feasting Scene" therefore represents a remarkable exception to Jalisco visual art conventions.
provenance
Carl Pappe, Taxco, Mexico, 1970; Dr. and Mrs. George Alderman, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 2003, by gift.
date
300 BC-AD 300 (Protoclassic)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Ceramics
sculpture (visual works)
imageCount
3
pageCount
3
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
51.4
height
50.2
depth
43.2
dimensionsRaw
H: 20 1/4 x W: 19 3/4 x D: 17 in. (51.4 x 50.2 x 43.2 cm)
Source extras
cul
Jalisco
style
Jalisco
med
earthenware, red-slipped resist painting, appliqué
creator_ids
8584
collection_ids
AME
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
9c79c67f0dc6735e
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
d6ee5b6ffd8cc4a5
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
58f6485055b5ee1e
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no