Twee bijzondere Strombus-voorstellingen uit Mexico. Strombidae in de kunst. Aanvulling 1

In Strombidae in Art Part 1 some ornaments were discussed that were fashioned from transverse slices of shells of, Strombus gigas and associated with the Wind God Quetzalcóatl. A similar but more detailed representation can be found on a fine round bowl in Berlin, made in Postclassic times (1000-1521) in the Gulf Coast area. The artist has registered in great detail the successive whorls and the flaring outer lip of the shell as well as the spines of unequal dimensions including the smaller ultimate one. Of a totally different order is a second artefact, which – though equally made of terracotta – appears to be a miniature version of an Aztec cradle, but made in the likeness of a Queen Conch instead of having the more usual boxlike shape. The braces added to the interior of the shell were used to keep the infant in place and to carry the cradle. Its shape refers to the fertility and birth symbolism of the shell and is probably also reminiscent of the legend of Quetzalcóatl reclaiming the withered bones of extinct mankind from the Realm of the Dead called Mictlan after successfully blowing the conch of its ruler, which had no holes. From the bones arose new people, so the conch might also be interpreted as a symbol of resurrection. This multiple symbolism made the object a perfect offering for the Great Temple in Tenochtitlán, where so many shells and shellinspired artefacts were found in the part belonging to the Rain God Tlaloc.