Art Institute of Chicago

Jar with Horned Serpents and Interlocking, Hatched-and-Black Stepped Designs

Ancestral Pueblo (Anasazi), Socorro Black-on-white

Date

950–1400

Medium

Ceramic and pigment

Culture

New Mexico

Department

Arts of the Americas

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Horned or plumed serpents, mythical entities associated with the life-giving power of water, have an ancient history in the art of the American Southwest, Midwest, and Southeast. On the shoulder of this vessel, twin highly abstract serpents stretch out from a central point, from which rises a series of superimposed stepped chevrons. The chevron is a symbolic motif widely associated with mountains, springs, rivers, and rising thunderstorms. The overall composition of this jar suggests the symbolic representation of a sacred landscape and the ritual summoning of water.

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