<em>Container in the Shape of a Turkey</em>, early 19th century. Silver alloy and red stones, 10 3/4 x 7 1/2 x 8 5/8 in. (27.3 x 19.1 x 21.9cm). Brooklyn Museum, Bequest of Charlotte R. Stillman, 55.36.4. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 55.36.4_PS6.jpg)

Container in the Shape of a Turkey, early 19th century. Silver alloy and red stones, 10 3/4 x 7 1/2 x 8 5/8 in. (27.3 x 19.1 x 21.9cm). Brooklyn Museum, Bequest of Charlotte R. Stillman, 55.36.4. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 55.36.4_PS6.jpg)

DOWNLOAD

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

This turkey is so delightful!

I agree! If you look closely, you can see how the artist hand-chased all of the details on the feathers. Also, the eyes are made of faceted red stones, to evoke the red skin that surrounds the eyes of many turkey species. It was made in the early 19th century, possibly in Mexico. The bird resembles the Ocellated Turkey, that lives in the Yucatán Peninsula.

Container in the Shape of a Turkey

Decorative Arts and Design

On View: Luce Visible Storage and Study Center, 5th Floor

MEDIUM Silver alloy and red stones

DATES early 19th century

DIMENSIONS 10 3/4 x 7 1/2 x 8 5/8 in. (27.3 x 19.1 x 21.9cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Decorative Arts and Design

ACCESSION NUMBER 55.36.4

CREDIT LINE Bequest of Charlotte R. Stillman

EXHIBITIONS

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Luce Visible Storage and Study Center, 5th Floor

CAPTION Container in the Shape of a Turkey, early 19th century. Silver alloy and red stones, 10 3/4 x 7 1/2 x 8 5/8 in. (27.3 x 19.1 x 21.9cm). Brooklyn Museum, Bequest of Charlotte R. Stillman, 55.36.4. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 55.36.4_PS6.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 55.36.4_PS6.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2013

"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.

RECORD COMPLETENESS

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.

This turkey is so delightful!