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© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University. Photo by Michael McKelvey.
Fragmented Pedestal Plate with Dancing Crocodilian
© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University. Photo by Michael McKelvey.
© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University. Photo by Michael McKelvey.
© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University. Photo by Michael McKelvey.
ClassificationsArt of the Americas

Fragmented Pedestal Plate with Dancing Crocodilian

Place CreatedPanama, North America
CultureMacaracas
PeriodPeriod VIB
Date800-1000 CE
MediumCeramic
Credit LineGift of William C. and Carol W. Thibadeau
Object number1991.002.002
Exhibition HistoryMCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, September 13, 2002 - June 2012
'For I am the Black Jaguar': Shamanic Visionary Experience in Ancient American Art, Michael C. Carlos Museum, September 5, 2012 - January 5, 2013
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, February 9, 2013 - February 6, 2017
MCCM Permanent Collection Gallery, February 13, 2017 - March 13, 2019
MCCM Permanent Collection Galleries, July 2, 2019 - Present
Published ReferencesRebecca Stone-Miller, Seeing With New Eyes: Highlights of the Michael C. Carlos Museum Collection of Art of the Ancient Americas (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2002), 169, figure 397.
ProvenanceEx coll. William (1920-2002) and Carol (1921-2019) Thibadeau, Atlanta, Georgia, purchased 1983.
Status
On view
Collections
  • Art of the Americas
Technical NotesA purple slip began to appear on Panamanian pottery of the Coclé region around 500 AD. The coloration of this slip is unusual because most purple slips in the Americas are more maroon. The production technology of these Panamanian ceramics has been little studied, and many uninformed statements have been made about the identification of the purple slip. Former Andrew W. Mellon Assistant Conservator Kathryn Etre studied the technology of these ceramics to identify the firing temperature of these ceramics and the mineral of the purple slip. This presentation describes the use of various analytical techniques, including polarized light microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and x-ray florescence to characterize the minerals within these ceramics. Additionally, experimental archaeology was used to recreate this ceramic production technology.