Skip to Content
Today Open today 10–11 members | 11–5 public

Ceremonial Grinding Table (Metate) in the Form of a Feline

A work made of volcanic stone.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

Image actions

  • A work made of volcanic stone.

Date:

500–1000

Artist:

Nicoya
Nicoya, Guanacaste province, Costa Rica

About this artwork

In Central America, Mexico, and the southwestern United States, flat stone grinders (metates) were used to prepare cornmeal and corn dough for cooking. Sculptors in ancient Costa Rica developed elaborate metate forms as symbols of sustenance; large, finely carved examples often feature effigies as emblems of a ruler or religious official. Metates have been discovered in burials, where they served as biers for deceased leaders, but they were probably primarily intended as throne-like seats for chieftains, thereby linking rulers’ political power to their obligation to ensure abundant harvests to sustain their communities.

Status

On View, Gallery 136

Department

Arts of the Americas

Culture

Nicoya

Title

Ceremonial Grinding Table (Metate) in the Form of a Feline

Place

Nicoya (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

500 CE–1000

Medium

Volcanic stone

Dimensions

41.3 × 34.9 × 86.4 cm (16 1/4 × 13 3/4 × 34 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Richard J. Faletti, the Faletti Family Collection

Reference Number

1997.66

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/146939/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Learn more

Image actions

Share