Totonac. <em>Orange and Cream Bowl</em>, ca. 900–1200. Ceramic, 4 x 6 1/8 x 6 1/8 in. (10.2 x 15.6 x 15.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Bequest of Mrs. Carl L. Selden, 1996.116.18. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1996.116.18_transpc002.jpg)

Totonac. Orange and Cream Bowl, ca. 900–1200. Ceramic, 4 x 6 1/8 x 6 1/8 in. (10.2 x 15.6 x 15.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Bequest of Mrs. Carl L. Selden, 1996.116.18. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1996.116.18_transpc002.jpg)

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Can you tell me about the 1903 museum expedition where this was collected? Did Brooklyn Museum do digs in pueblos or how did they acquire these?

Stewart Culin, an ethnographer and curator for the Brooklyn Museum, traveled to the Southwest and purchased many objects while there.

At time time, there were already some regulations on the purchase and excavation of Native American objects, both imposed by the United States Government (if the object was found on federal land) and through tribal authorities. Culin noted that objects of major significance were not for sale.

The Museum today fully complies with North American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and tribal authorities/governments in relation to our Native North American collections.

Orange and Cream Bowl

Arts of the Americas

On View: American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, Trouble the Water

Characterized by contrasting colors of orange, cream, and brown, this Cerro Montoso–style bowl reflects the importance of fine pottery in Totonac culture. The artist built on previous ceramic techniques to create a light, thin-walled vessel. The stylized yet naturalistic images of lobsters and water birds, most likely herons, allude to the importance of marine resources for human sustenance on Mexico’s Gulf Coast. The delicately incised lines on the animals accentuate their eyes, heads, and bodies.

CULTURE Totonac

MEDIUM Ceramic

Place Made: Cerro Montoso, Veracruz, Mexico

DATES ca. 900–1200

DIMENSIONS 4 x 6 1/8 x 6 1/8 in. (10.2 x 15.6 x 15.6 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Arts of the Americas

ACCESSION NUMBER 1996.116.18

CREDIT LINE Bequest of Mrs. Carl L. Selden

PROVENANCE Prior to provenance not yet documented; before 1960, reportedly acquired by an unidentified American collector; by 1976, acquired by John B. Elliott of New York, NY; 1976, purchased from John B. Elliott by Carl Selden of New Milford, CT; before 1996, inherited from Carl Selden by Florence Barstock Selden; October 17, 1996, gift of the Estate of Florence Barstock Selden to the Brooklyn Museum.

Provenance FAQ

CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Globular bowl with a rounded base and very thin walls that are covered with white and orange slip and decorated on the outside with brown painted lobsters and water birds. Thin incised lines accentuate the animal designs. Possibly Cerro Montoso style (900-1200).

EXHIBITIONS

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, Trouble the Water

CAPTION Totonac. Orange and Cream Bowl, ca. 900–1200. Ceramic, 4 x 6 1/8 x 6 1/8 in. (10.2 x 15.6 x 15.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Bequest of Mrs. Carl L. Selden, 1996.116.18. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1996.116.18_transpc002.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 1996.116.18_transpc002.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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Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.

Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

Can you tell me about the 1903 museum expedition where this was collected? Did Brooklyn Museum do digs in pueblos or how did they acquire these?

Stewart Culin, an ethnographer and curator for the Brooklyn Museum, traveled to the Southwest and purchased many objects while there.

The Museum today fully complies with North American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and tribal authorities/governments in relation to our Native North American collections.