Isthmian Region, Panama-Costa Rica, Veraguas-Chiriquí style, 11th century-16th century / 1000–1550
Feline Pendant
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Feline Pendant as metalwork (Isthmian Region, Panama-Costa Rica, Veraguas-Chiriquí style, 11th century-16th century · 1000–1550).
In the Panama-Costa Rica region gold ornaments were associated with political and religious authority.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this metalwork as gold, cast.
The museum's collection notes: This memorable jaguar pendant is a nasty precious—nasty because it holds a severed limb (probably human) in its fanged mouth but precious due to its material, its well-polished silky surface, and the charming rendering, which reduces the jaguar to cartoon-like essentials. The warm, rosy color is the result of copper in the alloy.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtFeline PendantOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.