Southern Costa Rica, (Diquís Region), Diquís Style / Double Bird-Man Pendant with Monkey Heads / c. 1000-1500

Southern Costa Rica, (Diquís Region), Diquís Style
Double Bird-Man Pendant with Monkey Heads
c. 1000-1500
View Larger Image

View Full Catalog Record Below

This image is one of over 108,000 from the AMICA Library (formerly The Art Museum Image Consortium Library- The AMICO Library™), a growing online collection of high-quality, digital art images from over 20 museums around the world. www.davidrumsey.com/amica offers subscriptions to this collection, the finest art image database available on the internet. EVERY image has full curatorial text and can be studied in depth by zooming into the smallest details from within the Image Workspace.

Preview the AMICA Library™ Public Collection in Luna Browser Now

Cultures and time periods represented range from contemporary art, to ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian works.
Types of works include paintings, drawings, watercolors, sculptures, costumes, jewelry, furniture, prints, photographs, textiles, decorative art, books and manuscripts.

Gain access to this incredible resource through either a monthly or a yearly subscription and search the entire collection from your desktop, compare multiple images side by side and zoom into the minute details of the images. Visit www.davidrumsey.com/amica for more information on the collection, click on the link below the revolving thumbnail to the right, or email us at amica@luna-img.com .

Creator Nationality: North American; Central American; Costa Rican
Creator Name-CRT: Southern Costa Rica, (Diquís Region), Diquís Style
Title: Double Bird-Man Pendant with Monkey Heads
Title Type: Primary
View: Full View
Creation Start Date: 1000
Creation End Date: 1500
Creation Date: c. 1000-1500
Object Type: Costume and Jewelry
Classification Term: Metalwork
Materials and Techniques: cast and hammered gold
Dimensions: Overall: 7.15cm x 9.4cm
AMICA Contributor: The Cleveland Museum of Art
Owner Location: Cleveland, Ohio, USA
ID Number: 1951.442
Credit Line: Thirty-fifth anniversary gift in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Humphreys, Gift of their daughter, Helen
Rights: http://www.clemusart.com/museum/disclaim2.html
Style or Period: Southern Costa Rica, (Diquís Region), Diquís Style
Context: In the centuries before the Spanish conquest, competition between chiefs for land and resources was keen. Predatory animals were natural symbols of a successful warrior's ferocity. This pendant portrays a large raptor, perhaps a harpy eagle, who has snatched a monkey from the trees, and now carries its head. Supernatural powers are suggested by the doubling of the bird's head and body, and the reptilian profiles that emanate from the heads. That the mythical creature symbolizes human aggression is evident in the form of the body (birds have no external genitals), and the trophy head theme. Human warriors are often portrayed holding trophy heads, which symbolized fruits or seeds, and thus agricultural abundance.
AMICA ID: CMA_.1951.442
AMICA Library Year: 2000
Media Metadata Rights: Copyright, The Cleveland Museum of Art

AMICA PUBLIC RIGHTS: a) Access to the materials is granted for personal and non-commercial use. b) A full educational license for non-commercial use is available from Cartography Associates at www.davidrumsey.com/amica/institution_subscribe.html c) Licensed users may continue their examination of additional materials provided by Cartography Associates, and d) commercial rights are available from the rights holder.