Jama Coaque. <em>Effigy Vessel</em>, ca. 300 B.C.E.–600 C.E. Ceramic, 12 3/4 x 16 1/4 x 13 in. (32.4 x 41.3 x 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Tessim Zorach, 88.57.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 88.57.2.jpg)

Jama Coaque. Effigy Vessel, ca. 300 B.C.E.–600 C.E. Ceramic, 12 3/4 x 16 1/4 x 13 in. (32.4 x 41.3 x 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Tessim Zorach, 88.57.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 88.57.2.jpg)

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What would this have been used to hold? Or, is it purely decorative?

This Effigy Vessel by a Jama Coaque artist would have been used in a ritual context. Most excavated vessels come from burials. While it may have held offerings, it would have been used in such a way during rituals.

The jaguar, here shown as a supernatural being, has powerful connotations throughout Meso- and Central America for its prowess as a hunter. You can find other ritual examples from Costa Rica near by!

What is this creature?

This is a jaguar, which was a powerful symbol throughout Ecuador and neighboring regions. Jaguars were not only powerful predators, but they were seen as animals that could cross all boundaries, as they traveled through water, across land, and into trees, and could see in the dark!

How did the Jaguar Effigy Vessel get to the Brooklyn Museum?

The Jaguar Effigy Vessel was a gift to the museum from Mr. and Mrs. Tessim Zorach in 1988.

Tessim Zorach was a pre-Columbian Ecuadorian art collector who died in 1995. He donated works to a number of museums, including the Met, and the Brooklyn Museum.

Effigy Vessel

Arts of the Americas

On View: Luce Visible Storage and Study Center, 5th Floor

The Jama-Coaque culture of Ecuador’s northern coast is known for complex moldmade and hand-modeled ceramic sculptures that depict people and animals. Felines are the most frequently represented animal, indicating their importance as symbols of power. On this modeled effigy vessel, the large jar on the jaguar’s back suggests that the object was ceremonial, perhaps used for ritual offerings. The style of the round, bulging eyes and nose indicates that the jaguar represents a supernatural being.

CULTURE Jama Coaque

MEDIUM Ceramic

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS

Possible place made: Manabí Province, Ecuador
Possible place made: Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador

DATES ca. 300 B.C.E.–600 C.E.

PERIOD Regional Developmental Period

DIMENSIONS 12 3/4 x 16 1/4 x 13 in. (32.4 x 41.3 x 33 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Arts of the Americas

ACCESSION NUMBER 88.57.2

CREDIT LINE Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Tessim Zorach

CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Large ceramic effigy vessel in the form of a snarling four-footed animal (probably a jaguar), with a vessel form on its back and a long, thick, downturned tail. The front paws are raised up with claws extended and underside pads visible including the dewclaws. The back paws rest on the ground. The large head has an open mouth with teeth and four fangs, a flat nose with scroll-like nostrils and long finger-like protrusions above it, round bulging eyes with spiky-pointed "eyelashes," protruding ears, and a short beard or lip plug below the lower lip. Protruding from the creature's back is a simple flaring jar vessel with a flat, disk-like rim. The surface of the clay is rough, and the surface of the jar is especially irregular. The small disc in the palm of the cat’s paws is typical of Jama Coaque objects. Condition: Good except for thin cracks in various areas over the entire surface.

EXHIBITIONS

American Art

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Luce Visible Storage and Study Center, 5th Floor

CAPTION Jama Coaque. Effigy Vessel, ca. 300 B.C.E.–600 C.E. Ceramic, 12 3/4 x 16 1/4 x 13 in. (32.4 x 41.3 x 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Tessim Zorach, 88.57.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 88.57.2.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 88.57.2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

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