Collection
/
Arts of the Americas

Effigy Vessel

Jama-Coaque

Brooklyn Museum photograph

Object Label

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.

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. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gallery

Not on view

Title

Effigy Vessel

Date

ca. 300 B.C.E.–600 C.E.

Period

Regional Developmental Period

Geography

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

Medium

Ceramic

Classification

Vessel

Dimensions

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

Credit Line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Tessim Zorach

Accession Number

88.57.2

Frequent Art Questions

  • 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.

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Artists and makers

Jama-Coaque

26 works in the collection