Chocolate Jar (Chocolatero)

Unknown

ca. 1700 · Tin-glazed earthenware, iron · The American Wing

This jar was probably used to store cacao beans and once had a lockable iron lid (only the collar remains). Its blue-and-white decoration features stylized birds that recall the Chinese motif of a phoenix (fenghuang) transformed into a quetzal, an extravagantly plumed bird considered sacred by many Mesoamerican peoples. This detail could represent the misinterpretation of a Chinese phoenix or the intentional accommodation of a local meaning.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1700

Medium

Tin-glazed earthenware, iron

Culture

Mexican

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Mrs. Robert W. de Forest, 1911