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Lizard effigy vase
Mixtec or West Mexican
Postclassic period
A.D. 1200–1530
Object Place: Mexico
Medium/Technique
Beige aragonite: trace of ochre pigment
Dimensions
Overall: 13.4 x 9.8 cm (5 1/4 x 3 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Margret Craver Withers
Accession Number1993.818
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAmericas
ClassificationsVessels
DescriptionTripod vase carved from aragonite (onyx). An up-right lizard is carved in low relief on the front of the vase, the lizard's head rendered in higher relief than its body. Onyx vessels have been found in the Valley of México, Oaxaca and West México, and their similar stylistic forms make difficult a specific cultural attribution.
ProvenanceMargret Craver Withers collection (acquired in Mexico and Guatemala) by 1972; to MFA, November 1993, gift of Margret Craver Withers.