Home > Collections > American Arts and Cultures > Wooden knife handle in the shape of a fantastic quadruped
Wooden knife handle in the shape of a fantastic quadruped
Location: Puebla (Mexico)
Dating: Late postclassic period (late 15th century - early 16th century)
Material / Technique: Wood, resin, mosaic tiles in turquoise, malachite, lignite, Spondylus princeps, Spondylus calcifer, Strombus, mother-of-pearl, gold
Collection / Inventory: Museum of Civilizations, Rome. INV. No. MPE 4215
Provenance: Nahuas culture (Puebla, Mexico). Probably brought to Bologna by the Dominican Domingo de Betanzos in 1533, the knife handle passed into the collection of Ferdinando Cospi before 1667. It then passed into the collections of the Istituto delle Scienze (1742-43) and the Regia Università di Bologna (1803), and was obtained in exchange by the latter in 1878.
The informations contained in the captions are derived from historical documentation or cataloging and inventories that do not necessarily reflect complete or current knowledge on the part of the Museum of Civilizations.
The progressive revision of the collections database is ongoing and will be constantly updated based on the research conducted and by activating comparisons and collaborations with external parties as well, with particular attention to provenance studies.
