Aztec. Reclining Jaguar, 1400–1521. Volcanic stone, 5 x 11 x 5 3/4 in. (12.7 x 27.9 x 14.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Carll H. de Silver Fund, 38.45. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 38.45_SL1.jpg)
Aztec. Reclining Jaguar, 1400–1521. Volcanic stone, 5 x 11 x 5 3/4 in. (12.7 x 27.9 x 14.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Carll H. de Silver Fund, 38.45. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 38.45_acetate_bw.jpg)
Reclining Jaguar
Arts of the Americas
On View: Luce Visible Storage and Study Center, 5th Floor
The Aztec Empire, centered in the Valley of Mexico, existed from 1325 until the Spanish conquest of 1521. This reclining jaguar is an excellent example of Aztec naturalistic sculpture. Every part of the animal is carefully rendered, including the underside, where the paw pads are carved in low relief. To the Aztec, the jaguar symbolized power, courage, and a warlike attitude. Some of the highest-ranking warriors were called jaguar warriors, and rulers associated themselves with Tezcatlipoca, a deity who sometimes assumed the guise of this powerful predator.
CULTURE
Aztec
MEDIUM
Volcanic stone
DATES
1400–1521
DIMENSIONS
5 x 11 x 5 3/4 in. (12.7 x 27.9 x 14.6 cm) (show scale)
COLLECTIONS
Arts of the Americas
ACCESSION NUMBER
38.45
CREDIT LINE
Carll H. de Silver Fund
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Reclining grey stone jaguar. Tail curved above one hind leg that rests on the other. All parts of the animal are carefully carved with the eyes and mouth open and the jaguar's two straight paws extending in front of body.
Condition: good: the side of the tail is partly broken and the stone is chipped in a few places.
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is on view in Luce Visible Storage and Study Center, 5th Floor
CAPTION
Aztec. Reclining Jaguar, 1400–1521. Volcanic stone, 5 x 11 x 5 3/4 in. (12.7 x 27.9 x 14.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Carll H. de Silver Fund, 38.45. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 38.45_SL1.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 38.45_SL1.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.
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.
