Cleveland Museum of Art

Basin with Feathered Serpent

Date

400–550 CE

Medium

earthenware, stucco, pigment

Culture

Central Mexico, Teotihuacán style, Classic period

Department

Art of the Americas

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The serpent covered with the green feathers of the tropical quetzal bird is an image of verdant, bountiful nature and life. It also may be a symbol of rulership, thus linking rulers to cosmic forces and the natural order. Four human hearts lie beneath the serpent on this unusually large basin, suggesting that sacrifice stimulates nature’s fruitfulness.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.