On view
Art of the Ancient Americas
Wheeled feline,
600–900
Classic Veracruz
Late Classic Period
2004-46
Although its exact place of manufacture in Veracruz remains uncertain, this wheeled feline "toy" and others like it—which may have served as children's playthings—provide the only evidence that wheels were used in any part of Mesoamerica. In part, the lack of practical applications for the wheel may have been due to the absence of horses or oxen to serve as beasts of burden. The round shape of this feline's head, as well as its large, circular ears and relatively short tail, suggest that the animal is a young cub. Its features are more characteristic of the ocelot than the jaguar, but both species are found in Veracruz, and either may have been the inspiration for this piece.
More About This Object
Information
Title
Wheeled feline
Dates
600–900
Medium
Ceramic with buff-colored slip
Dimensions
h. 15.6 cm., w. 9.5 cm., l. 18.0 cm. (6 1/8 x 3 3/4 x 7 1/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Gillett G. Griffin
Object Number
2004-46
Place Made
North America, Mexico, Veracruz, Gulf Coast
Culture
Subject
By 1986, Gillett G. Griffin (1928-2016), Princeton, NJ [1]; 2004, gift to the Princeton University Art Museum.
Notes:
[1] On loan to the museum in 1986 (L.1986.91).
- Harmer Johnson, ed. Guide to the Arts of the Americas (New York: Rizzoli, 1992), p. 56 (illus.)
- John H. Burkhalter III and Gillett G. Griffin, Music from the Land of the Jaguar (Princeton: Princeton University Art Museum, 2004)., fig. 6
- "Acquisitions of the Princeton University Art Museum 2004," Record of the Princeton University Art Museum 64 (2005): p. 91-135., p. 104
- Princeton University Art Museum: Handbook of the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2007), p. 109 (illus.)
- Princeton University Art Museum: Handbook of the Collections (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Art Museum, 2013)
