Painted dish: the shark god
Label TextThe high status of aristocrats is seen by the wealth interred in their graves, including painted ceramics. This plate shows a composite being: a shark with the markings of a serpent, suggesting the swift power of the shark united with the ability of the snake, which can traverse both land and water. Viewers of this plate would have interpreted it as an affirmation that the universe held magic secrets but was an ordered and organized place.
Object number52.86
Photo CreditPhoto: Elizabeth Mann
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Cosmic Beings in Mesoamerican and Andean Art, Nov. 10, 2018 - ongoing.Credit LineEugene Fuller Memorial Collection
Dimensions6 5/8 in. (16.83 cm)
Diam.: 10 in.
MediumCeramic with paint
Object number: 52.89
Object number: 52.79
Object number: 52.87
Object number: 54.14
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