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Pre-Columbian Americas Veracruz, Mexico Vessel in the Form of a Monkey Late Classic period, A.D. 800–900 Clay H. 8 5/8 in. (21.9 cm) Raymond and Laura Wielgus Collection Indiana University Art Museum, 95.23 This charming vessel may simply represent the spider monkey, an animal which ancient Mesoamericans enjoyed because of its playfulness, or it may refer to a monkey deity, who was the patron of scribes, artists, musicians, and dancers. The liveliness of the vessel is aural as well as visual, for when the monkey is moved, it chatters with the rattling of a pebble or other small object sealed inside it. |
