This exhibition of pre-Columbian art includes works from Peru, West Mexico, and Mesoamerica. The selected objects feature animal representations in pre-Columbian art, such as monkeys, bears, felines, birds, and aquatic animals. As embodiments or messengers of gods, guardians, clan images, and sources of food, depictions of animals were ubiquitous in the ritual and daily lives of ancient Americans.

The Peruvian examples tend to be pottery vessels incorporating animal imagery both modeled and painted. There is a brightly painted double spout bridge vessel depicting birds holding fish in their beaks from the Nazca culture, Peru, 1 - 400 AD and a Vicus vessel in the form of a pouncing feline, Peru, 300 - 100 BC. The West Mexican works on the other hand, are three-dimensional pottery animal figures, such as a red slip painted dog figure, Jalisco, 100 BC - 250 AD. Mesoamerican forms may be both sculpture and vessels. A tripod vessel with supports in the form of long-tailed kinkajous (Atlantic Watershed-zone) Costa Rica, Late Period IV, 100 - 500 AD, is one of the most striking from this area.

The objects in this exhibition have been acquired from estate collections in the United States formed before 1970. All are priced for immediate retail sale.