Mayan Polychrome Bowl in the Shape of a Frog, 300 CE - 900 CE
Terracotta
4.625 x 3.875
PF.5646
Further images
Slightly elevated off the ground on four feet, this bulging bowl takes on the form of a frog, a Mayan symbol of fertility. The frog’s protruding head is rendered with...
Slightly elevated off the ground on four feet, this bulging bowl takes on the form of a frog, a Mayan symbol of fertility. The frog’s protruding head is rendered with precise details: round, bulging eyes, a wide, open mouth, and a horned nose. The frog’s red legs project slightly from the contours of the bowl as they bend and lead to the feet. In the rear, a red bump of a tail sticks out. The body and the bowl are decorated with a series of black rings framed by the legs, imitating the texture of the frog’s skin. A band of thick curving orange crescents marks the join where the cylindrical rim of the vessel and the wide body of the bowl meet. A row of glyphs decorates the rim of the vessel. No doubt these describe the significance of the vessel and, perhaps, the symbolism behind the frog. Found in a tomb, buried along side a fallen ruler or dignitary, this vessel was as important in the afterlife as it was in this world. Perhaps it insured continued fertility in the next life.