We're thrilled to welcome you back safely to the Gardiner with new exhibitions, hands-on activities, studio classes, dining, shopping, and more. Please note that all visitors 12 and older must show proof of full vaccination. Plan your visit today!
Renaissance Venice was a multicultural metropolis at the intersection of trade routes linking Europe to the Islamic World, with pigments, spices, and luxury objects flowing through the city. Discover a sensory world of more than 110 objects, including Venetian ceramics and glass, Islamic metalware, and contemporary art. Plan your visit now!
Feeling stressed? In our four-week mindfulness workshops, registered art therapist Suzanne Thomson will show you a series of clay hand-building exercises to help you relax and reconnect with the present. The first class starts on October 28, so act fast!
Every object in our permanent collection can be accessed through our eMuseum portal. Learn about individual collecting areas, like Italian Maiolica or Modern and Contemporary Ceramics, or search the full collection by keyword. You'll be amazed by what you discover!
We need your support to continue to offer innovative and engaging exhibitions, programs, and community projects online, as well as plan for the future. Please consider making a donation to help us build community with clay.
The Gardiner Museum’s Mesoamerican objects come from the modern countries of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Belize. Many great civilizations and cities emerging in these regions along with intellectual accomplishments, such as the domestication of corn, hieroglyphic writing, and a precise calendar based on the observations of the heavens. Objects in this collection date from about 1500 BC to approximately AD 1521.
Cultures represented in the Museum’s collection include the Maya, Aztec, Zapotec, West Mexico, Teotihuacan, Mixtec, as well as many others.
The Mesoamerican objects in the Museum’s collection were part of the original gift of ceramics given by George and Helen Gardiner.
1. Plate with Hieroglyphic Text (detail), Maya Culture, Guatemala, Uaxactun area, early late classsic period, 550-650, Gift of George and Helen Gardiner, G83.1.120. Photographer: Toni Hafkenscheid
2. Plate with Hieroglyphic Text (detail), Maya Culture, Guatemala, Uaxactun area, early late classsic period, 550-650, Gift of George and Helen Gardiner, G83.1.120. Photographer: Toni Hafkenscheid
3. Escavada Black on White Bowl (detail), Ancestral Pueblo Culture, Southern Colorado Plateau, USA, 950-1300, Gift of Ulli and Carol Rath on behalf of the Rath family, G14.10.4
4. Parrot Effigy Bottle with Double Chambers (detail), Salinar Culture, Peru, North Coast, Late Early Horizon 500-300 BCE, Gift of George and Helen Gardiner, G83.1.159
5. Tetrapod Jaguar Effigy Vessel with Rattle Supports (detail), Costa Rica, Guanacaste, Nicoya Zone, Late Period VI 1200-1400, Gift of George and Helen Gardiner, G83.1.147. Photographer: Melissa Shimmerman