Two Bowls with Birds in Cartouches

CultureMaya
Titles
  • Two Bowls with Birds in Cartouches
Date600–900 AD
PlaceGuatemala
MediumEarthenware with painted stucco
Dimensions.201: 5 3/4 × 5 3/4 × 5 3/4 in. (14.6 × 14.6 × 14.6 cm)
.202: 5 5/8 × 5 7/8 × 5 7/8 in. (14.3 × 14.9 × 14.9 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by The Brown Foundation, Inc. in honor of Frances Marzio's tenth anniversary with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Object number92.201,92.202
Non exposé

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Object Type
Description

These matched bowls display six birds in interlocking cartouches. Pink roseate spoonbills occupy aqua rings, and green quetzal birds occupy pink ones. Typical of Maya creativity, each bird is depicted in a slightly different position, giving rhythm and variety to the overall design.


 Roseate spoonbills are large wading birds with bright pink feathers. Quetzal birds are rare, magnificent tree-dwellers with iridescent green feathers, vibrant red chests, and long emerald tails. The Maya considered spoonbills and quetzals to be sacred. Pink associated the spoonbill with life-giving blood; green related the quetzal to agriculture. Feathers from both birds were frequently used in the ceremonial headdresses and fans of Maya rulers, who often took the name k'uk', the word for quetzal in Mayan, as part of their title.


ProvenancePrivate Florida Collection since 1966;
The Lands Beyond Ltd.,
Ken Bower, 1991;
MFAH, 1992, 92.201
Exhibition History“Fangs, Feathers, and Fins: Sacred Creatures in Ancient American Art,” The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, October 15, 2014–March 22, 2015.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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