Detail View: The AMICA Library: Double Bird-Man Pendant with Monkey Heads
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AMICA ID:
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CMA_.1951.442
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AMICA Library Year:
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2000
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Object Type:
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Costume and Jewelry
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Creator Nationality:
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North American; Central American; Costa Rican
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Creator Name-CRT:
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Southern Costa Rica, (Diquís Region), Diquís Style
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Title:
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Double Bird-Man Pendant with Monkey Heads
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Title Type:
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Primary
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View:
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Full View
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Creation Date:
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c. 1000-1500
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Creation Start Date:
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1000
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Creation End Date:
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1500
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Materials and Techniques:
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cast and hammered gold
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Classification Term:
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Metalwork
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Classification Term:
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metalwork
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Style or Period:
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Southern Costa Rica, (Diquís Region), Diquís Style
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Dimensions:
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Overall: 7.15cm x 9.4cm
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AMICA Contributor:
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The Cleveland Museum of Art
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Owner Location:
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Cleveland, Ohio, USA
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ID Number:
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1951.442
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Credit Line:
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Thirty-fifth anniversary gift in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Humphreys, Gift of their daughter, Helen
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Rights:
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Context:
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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.
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Related Image Identifier Link:
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CMA_.1951.442.tif
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