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This blackware bowl, created by people of the Olmec culture of southern Mexico (flourished ca. 1500 BCE – 300 BCE) shows the ancient civilization's sophisticated belief systems, artistic traditions, and networks of trade.The apparently simple, non-figurative design actually shows an abstracted image of a mythical creature known as the “Olmec dragon.” It combined features of different powerful predators of the region, including the harpy eagle, crocodile, and jaguar. The horizontal and vertical lines here show the fast-moving body and tufted eyebrows of this creature. The red pigment here is the mercury compound cinnabar, brought from sources hundreds of miles away.

Page data

Page
1
Source index
0
Type
photo
Media ID
776d1a782cd24040
Size
unknown

Document data

ID
78416
Core
obj
Type
object
DTO data
{
    "id": "78416",
    "sourceUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/48.2797",
    "contentType": "object",
    "stage": "normalized",
    "title": "Carved Bowl with Olmec Dragon Motif",
    "description": "This blackware bowl, created by people of the Olmec culture of southern Mexico (flourished ca. 1500 BCE – 300 BCE) shows the ancient civilization's sophisticated belief systems, artistic traditions, and networks of trade.The apparently simple, non-figurative design actually shows an abstracted image of a mythical creature known as the “Olmec dragon.” It combined features of different powerful predators of the region, including the harpy eagle, crocodile, and jaguar. The horizontal and vertical lines here show the fast-moving body and tufted eyebrows of this creature. The red pigment here is the mercury compound cinnabar, brought from sources hundreds of miles away.",
    "provenance": "Fine Arts of Ancient Lands, New York [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Private collection, March 1990 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 2008, by gift.",
    "date": "1200-900 BCE (Early Pre-Classic)",
    "citationUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/48.2797",
    "rightsUri": "CC0",
    "language": "en",
    "genreSpecific": [
        "Ceramics",
        "bowls (vessels)"
    ],
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    "imageCount": 1,
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    "source": "import",
    "dimensions": [
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            "units": "cm",
            "width": 6.4,
            "height": 11.1
        }
    ],
    "dimensionsRaw": "H: 2 1/2 x Diam: 4 3/8 in. (6.4 x 11.1 cm)"
}

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Document identity
{
    "localId": "78416",
    "label": "Carved Bowl with Olmec Dragon Motif",
    "core": "obj",
    "dtoType": "object",
    "citationUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/48.2797"
}
Document source metadata
{
    "id": "78416",
    "sourceUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/48.2797",
    "contentType": "object",
    "stage": "normalized",
    "title": "Carved Bowl with Olmec Dragon Motif",
    "description": "This blackware bowl, created by people of the Olmec culture of southern Mexico (flourished ca. 1500 BCE – 300 BCE) shows the ancient civilization's sophisticated belief systems, artistic traditions, and networks of trade.The apparently simple, non-figurative design actually shows an abstracted image of a mythical creature known as the “Olmec dragon.” It combined features of different powerful predators of the region, including the harpy eagle, crocodile, and jaguar. The horizontal and vertical lines here show the fast-moving body and tufted eyebrows of this creature. The red pigment here is the mercury compound cinnabar, brought from sources hundreds of miles away.",
    "provenance": "Fine Arts of Ancient Lands, New York [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Private collection, March 1990 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 2008, by gift.",
    "date": "1200-900 BCE (Early Pre-Classic)",
    "citationUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/48.2797",
    "rightsUri": "CC0",
    "language": "en",
    "genreSpecific": [
        "Ceramics",
        "bowls (vessels)"
    ],
    "iiifBase": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/PS1_48.2797_Fnt_DD_T09.jpg",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/PS1_48.2797_Fnt_DD_T09.jpg",
    "largeImageUrl": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/PS1_48.2797_Fnt_DD_T09.jpg",
    "imageCount": 1,
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    "source": "import",
    "dimensions": [
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            "width": 6.4,
            "height": 11.1
        }
    ],
    "dimensionsRaw": "H: 2 1/2 x Diam: 4 3/8 in. (6.4 x 11.1 cm)"
}
Document source extras
{
    "cul": "Olmec",
    "style": "Las Bocas",
    "med": "ceramic blackware with cinnabar (?), red pigment (?)",
    "creator_ids": [
        "8579"
    ],
    "collection_ids": [
        "AME"
    ],
    "exhibition_ids": []
}
Page context
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}