Collection
/
Decorative Arts and Design

Chest

1878

1 of 3

Caption

Chest, 1878. Wood, lacquer, 14 x 33 1/16 x 16 15/16in. (35.6 x 84 x 43cm) . Lent by Dr. Herbert J. Spinden, L41.106. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, L41.106_transpc003.jpg)

Title

Chest

Date

1878

Geography

Possible place made: Olinala, Mexico

Medium

Wood, lacquer

Classification

Furnishing

Dimensions

14 x 33 1/16 x 16 15/16in. (35.6 x 84 x 43cm)

Credit Line

Lent by Dr. Herbert J. Spinden

Accession Number

L41.106

Rights

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.

Frequent Art Questions

  • Is the scene painted on the inside of the lid significant?

    The eagle carrying a snake in its talons relates to the mythical founding of Mexico City, then called Tenochtitlan. The eagle has various symbolic meanings, but is most often associated with the sun. This image appears on several Aztec codices, as well as the present-day seal of the Mexican Government.

  • What country is this from?

    This chest was possibly made in Olinala, Mexico. It dates to 1878 and is made of wood with lacquer decorations which evoke landscape scenes, animals, human figures, and vegetation.

  • Can you tell me more about L41.106?

    Hello there. You're looking at a chest from Olinala, Mexico. It was made around 1878. The eagle carrying a snake in its talons relates to the mythical founding of Mexico City, then called Tenochtitlan.
    Ok, thanks. I was just wondering if the people drawn on it were depicting a story or any kind of historical event?
    Indeed, the people represent events from Mexico's history and culture.

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