Pottery Rattle
Unknown Artist
1200–1521
Medium
Clay
Dimensions
5.5cm x 5.5cm x 5.5cm
Classification
Idiophone-Shaken-rattle
Culture & Period
Mexican · Pre-Columbian
Department
Musical Instruments
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889
Accession Number
89.4.2065
Art Historical Context
This delightful Pottery Rattle, crafted from clay around 1200–1521 during Mexico's Pre-Columbian, exemplifies the ingenuity of ancient Mesoamerican artisans. Measuring just 55 cm on each side, its compact, cubic form fits perfectly in the hand, making it an ideal shaken idiophone—a musical instrument that produces sound through vibration of its own body when rattled. Unknown in its maker, the piece hails from a rich cultural tradition where pottery often blended utility with ritual purpose. In Pre-Columbian Mexico, such rattles likely animated ceremonies, dances, and communal gatherings, thei...