Search

A concrete cantilevered building against blue sky and green landscaping

A large green wall with oil paintings in gold frames above a tiled floor

A museum interior space with paintings and concrete walls and stairs

A concrete-walled lobby with windows, a tiled floor, and a circular desk

The top of a concrete spiral staircase with a wooden railing

A tall tree is the focal point of a garden in between two concrete buildings

About arrow_back

Admission for everyone is always free! Check here for current hours and more.

A concrete cantilevered building against blue sky and green landscaping

Collections arrow_back

The Johnson Museum holds more than 40,000 works in its collection from around the world.

A large green wall with oil paintings in gold frames above a tiled floor

Exhibitions arrow_back

Check out what’s on view this season at the Museum and look back through our history.

A museum interior space with paintings and concrete walls and stairs

Events arrow_back

Free events for everyone, plus special programs for students, families, and more!

A concrete-walled lobby with windows, a tiled floor, and a circular desk

Learn arrow_back

The Johnson Museum actively contributes to the intellectual life of our campus and community.

The top of a concrete spiral staircase with a wooden railing

Support arrow_back

Help the Johnson Museum continue its legacy by making a gift today.

A tall tree is the focal point of a garden in between two concrete buildings

Teotihuacan (Mexico)

Carved volcanic tuff brazier

View All Works

Object Details

Culture

Teotihuacan (Mexico)

Date

A.D. 450-650

Medium

Volcanic pumice stone with traces of stucco and paint

Dimensions

10 x 8 3/4 x 8 1/2 inches (25.4 x 22.2 x 21.6 cm)

Credit Line

Acquired through the Membership Purchase Fund

Object
Number

73.013.003

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONThis is a Teotihuacán style brazier carved from volcanic tuff (a type of stone).WH(…)

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONThis is a Teotihuacán style brazier carved from volcanic tuff (a type of stone).WHERE WAS IT MADE?This vessel was made in what is now Mexico, specifically in the Teotihuacán Valley, near Mexico City.HOW WAS IT MADE?This sculpture was carved from a piece of volcanic stone. Hand tools made from harder stones and wood, as well as fiber cords, were used to carve the stone. To ease the work, sand was used as an abrasive, and water as a lubricant.HOW WAS IT USED?Although we cannot be certain what purpose braziers like this one served, they have been discovered in central courtyards or near central shrines in the apartment complexes of Teotihuacán, where they may have been used for fire rituals.WHY DOES IT LOOK LIKE THIS?This Teotihuacán-style brazier (“brasero” in Spanish) is carved in the likeness of the Fire God, who is usually depicted as an elderly man carrying a brazier on his head. Notice his wrinkled face and hunched back; the Fire God is one of the oldest Mesoamerican deities, and is usually depicted with these features. Both the Totonacs and the Aztecs had similar Fire Gods; the Aztec Fire God was called Huehueteotl. A younger manifestation of the Aztec Fire God is Xiuhtecuhtli, Lord of the Year and God of Time. Identities of many of these Mesoamerican deities are fluid, with aspects of one god often acquired by others.ABOUT TEOTIHUACÁN:The rise of Teotihuacán as a major Mesoamerican city began by AD 150 and lasted until the city was burned in the sixth or seventh century AD. At its height, circa AD 550, Teotihuacán was a city of some 125,000 inhabitants—the sixth largest city in the world—whose prestige and influence were rivaled only much later by Tenochtitlan, the great capital of the Aztecs located on the present site of Mexico City. The “talud-tablero” is a distinctively Teotihuacano architectural style, having vertical elements (the “tablero”) surmounting the slope of the lower “talud.” The vertical “tablero” was frequently decorated with brightly painted raised-relief murals incorporating images of feathered serpents and other Mesoamerican deities. Similar iconography is found on the footed tripod pottery vessels (such as this one), which are also characteristic of this culture. Other material culture of note includes elaborate mosaic greenstone masks and extraordinarily thin pottery vessels with lifelike human figures.

Discover More

Mask

Oceanic

Door Lock

Mali, Bamana peoples

Orator’s stool

New Guinea

Mask

New Guinea, Middle Sepik, Angoram

Create an account

Please take a moment to fill your information to create your account.

Reset Password

Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive mail with link to set new password.

Save Artwork

Save the artwork in any of your exhibitions or create a new one.

You have not made any exhibitions.

Create New Exhibition

Create New Exhibition