Description:

Pre-Columbian, Central America, Panama or possibly Costa Rica, Veraguas culture, ca. 800 to 1500 CE. A large gold (92% pure, equivalent to 22K+) pendant with a form comprised of two zoomorphic bodies with bulging eyes, long tails, and long snouts terminating in raised nostrils. The legs of each creature overlap each other, giving the impression of two animals stacked atop each other or lying in waiting together. Twin loops on the back allowed the pendant to be worn. The caiman was a symbol of the earth, with the grid-like texture of its body seen as an anagram for a grid layout of fields and irrigation canals The majority of gold items from ancient Central America were made to be worn, and the loops on the back of this piece indicate that it was likely sewn onto an article of clothing, worn by the living and ultimately buried with the deceased. Size: 0.9" W x 0.7" H (2.3 cm x 1.8 cm); gold is 92%, equivalent to 22K+; 4.1 grams

Provenance: ex-Craig Hendrix collection, South Carolina, USA; ex Charles Craig Jr. collection, Costa Rica, acquired in the 1960s and 1970s

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#154092

  • Condition: Loops on back are slightly bent inward, otherwise in excellent condition.

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May 7, 2020 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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