Description:

Pre-Columbian, Colombia, Tairona culture, ca. 800 to 1200 CE. An endearing 12 karat gold pendant in the form of a seated toad with a broad, flattened, triangular head and a rounded body. A small loop at the base of the front feet allows you to hang it with its face looking up at your chin. We presume it is a toad rather than a frog, because large toads are very common in the region and are venerated by modern descendants of the Tairona. Size: 0.7" L x 0.7" W x 0.65" H (1.8 cm x 1.8 cm x 1.7 cm)

The Pre-Columbian Tairona, a group of chiefdoms in a mountainous part of Colombia, are renowned for their distinctive gold pieces - see, for example, the catalogue from the British Museum exhibit "Beyond El Dorado: Power and Gold in Ancient Colombia." Although gold was not a currency in Pre-Columbian South America, it had great symbolic power, used by elites in life and in death to demonstrate their place in society.

Provenance: Ex-private East Coast USA collection

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#119148

  • Condition: Loss behind the neck that has been filled. Underside reattached with losses as shown. Suspension cord shown in photograph is not included.

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February 9, 2017 7:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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$20,000 $49,999 $2,000
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$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
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