GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Teotihuacan (Teotihuacán) was a city of murals. Archaeologists have found murals decorating the interior rooms and corridors of many large residential compounds there, preserved because they were buried under collapsed roofs and debris. The artists of Teotihuacan took mural painting to great heights, and the city’s mural art is a source of insight into its religious and political organization.
The bird on this fragment was probably one of a series painted on an interior wall. Despite its elongated appearance, the bird is an owl, a favored bird of power at Teotihuacan. The bird wears a medallion, which Teotihuacanoes used to represent portals for gods and ancestors as they passed from the Otherworld to this world. Lords of the city also wore similar medallions. Owls were dangerous predators associated with war and conquest. The Classic Maya kings of Tikal borrowed the Teotihuacan Owl of War for their symbol of conquest when they embarked on imperial expansion in the 5th century CE.
Excerpt from
Carol Robbins, Label text, A. H. Meadows Galleries, 2010.
NOTES
JR 2018----CANNOT ARCHIVE BECAUSE LOAN
- 600–750 C.E., NOT updated by KJones in TMS; no culture or period noted.
- Long-term loan, known Provenance:
- Until 1991: Private Collection [1], [2]
- From 1991: Dallas Museum of Art, on long-term loan from the above [1], [2]
- [1] The main source for this provenance is existing information in TMS. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
- [2] Josefowitz Collection (Nicholas Josefowitz), Switzerland is the Private Collection.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Pre-Columbian (American): AAT: 300016619
Teotihuacán: AAT: 300017031
Geography
Mexico (nation): TGN: 7005560
Teotihuacán (deserted settlement): TGN: 7007218
Process/materials
stucco: AAT: 300014966
pigment: AAT: 300013109
paint (coating): AAT: 300015029
Historical periods
Teotihuacán III Period (Tlamimilolpa): AAT: 300017018
Classic (mesoamerican period): AAT: 300016983
Individuals
Subject terms
murals: AAT: 300182732
dwellings (residential structures): AAT: 300005425
rooms and spaces: AAT: 300133704
religion: AAT: 300073708
politics: AAT: 300055537
series (groups): AAT: 300027349
figures (representations): AAT: 300189808
profiles (figures): AAT: 300123319
animals: DMA
birds (animals): AAT: 300266506
birds (motifs): AAT: 300375751
owls (birds/animals/strigiformes order): AAT: 300310290
power: AAT: 300374809
medallions (ornament areas): AAT: 300077354
pendants (jewelry): AAT: 300046002
mirrors: AAT: 300037682
portals: AAT: 300076641
deities: AAT: 300343850
ancestors: AAT: 300255718
underworld (doctrinal concept): AAT: 300343823
supernatural (concepts): AAT: 300055947
nobility (nobles / aristocracy): AAT: 300025942
predators: AAT: 300249916
wars: AAT: 300055314
warrior: AAT: 300261945
conquests (events): AAT: 300410367
Maya: AAT: 300017826
feathers (animal components): AAT: 300400474
flower (motif): AAT: 300375563
speech (psychological concept): AAT: 300055195
speech scroll (motifs): DMA
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
The Metropolitan Museum of Art~Read about Teotihuacan mural painting.
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
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General Description
Teotihuacan (Teotihuacán) was a city of murals. Archaeologists have found murals decorating the interior rooms and corridors of many large residential compounds there, preserved because they were buried under collapsed roofs and debris. The artists of Teotihuacan took mural painting to great heights, and the city’s mural art is a source of insight into its religious and political organization.
The bird on this fragment was probably one of a series painted on an interior wall. Despite its elongated appearance, the bird is an owl, a favored bird of power at Teotihuacan. The bird wears a medallion, which Teotihuacanoes used to represent portals for gods and ancestors as they passed from the Otherworld to this world. Lords of the city also wore similar medallions. Owls were dangerous predators associated with war and conquest. The Classic Maya kings of Tikal borrowed the Teotihuacan Owl of War for their symbol of conquest when they embarked on imperial expansion in the 5th century CE.
Excerpt from
Carol Robbins, Label text, A. H. Meadows Galleries, 2010.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
Notes
JR 2018----CANNOT ARCHIVE BECAUSE LOAN
- 600–750 C.E., NOT updated by KJones in TMS; no culture or period noted.
- Long-term loan, known Provenance:
- Until 1991: Private Collection [1], [2]
- From 1991: Dallas Museum of Art, on long-term loan from the above [1], [2]
- [1] The main source for this provenance is existing information in TMS. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
- [2] Josefowitz Collection (Nicholas Josefowitz), Switzerland is the Private Collection.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Pre-Columbian (American): AAT: 300016619
Teotihuacán: AAT: 300017031
Geography
Mexico (nation): TGN: 7005560
Teotihuacán (deserted settlement): TGN: 7007218
Process/materials
stucco: AAT: 300014966
pigment: AAT: 300013109
paint (coating): AAT: 300015029
Historical periods
Teotihuacán III Period (Tlamimilolpa): AAT: 300017018
Classic (mesoamerican period): AAT: 300016983
Individuals
Subject terms
murals: AAT: 300182732
dwellings (residential structures): AAT: 300005425
rooms and spaces: AAT: 300133704
religion: AAT: 300073708
politics: AAT: 300055537
series (groups): AAT: 300027349
figures (representations): AAT: 300189808
profiles (figures): AAT: 300123319
animals: DMA
birds (animals): AAT: 300266506
birds (motifs): AAT: 300375751
owls (birds/animals/strigiformes order): AAT: 300310290
power: AAT: 300374809
medallions (ornament areas): AAT: 300077354
pendants (jewelry): AAT: 300046002
mirrors: AAT: 300037682
portals: AAT: 300076641
deities: AAT: 300343850
ancestors: AAT: 300255718
underworld (doctrinal concept): AAT: 300343823
supernatural (concepts): AAT: 300055947
nobility (nobles / aristocracy): AAT: 300025942
predators: AAT: 300249916
wars: AAT: 300055314
warrior: AAT: 300261945
conquests (events): AAT: 300410367
Maya: AAT: 300017826
feathers (animal components): AAT: 300400474
flower (motif): AAT: 300375563
speech (psychological concept): AAT: 300055195
speech scroll (motifs): DMA
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
source file
object_notes_2_b-0049.xml.nores