Gold Pendant of a Frog with a Curved Tail - FJ.6214, Origin: Costa Rica, Circa: 11 th Century AD to 16 th Century AD, Dimensions: 1.25" (3.2cm) high, Collection:  More »

Gold Pendant of a Frog with a Curved Tail - FJ.6214, Origin: Costa Rica, Circa: 11 th Century AD to 16 th Century AD, Dimensions: 1.25" (3.2cm) high, Collection: Pre-Columbian, Style: Pre-Columbian, Medium: Gold. Frogs appear frequently in the goldwork of Pre-Columbian Costa Rica, a tropical region in which numerous species of small frogs exist. Both tree frogs, which range in length from an inch to “giants” of five inches, and terrestrial frogs of small size and poisonous skin are known. The frogs are often vibrantly colored; bright yellow and “gold colored” frogs are among them. It is possible that this pendant is a stylized representation of a tree frog; tree frogs have extremely long legs, like those seen projecting from the body of this sculptural pendant, and equally long feet, here represented with the individual webbed toes. The frog is sitting, and ethnographic evidence suggests that this posture is significant for amphibian imagery; however, this significance remains a mystery. Even more mysterious is the curving tail that projects upwards from the back of the frog. This tail is similar to representation of the appendage on jaguars, the supreme creature in Pre-Columbian mythology. Perhaps this pendant depicts a hybrid animal; part frog/part jaguar. The frogs front two feet loop around into a pair hooks, allowing the work to be publicly displayed on a necklace and worn for ceremonies or festivals. Due to our limited comprehension of the rich mythological traditions of the Pre-Columbian Costa Ricans, the full meaning of this masterpiece remains clouded. Although we may never completely understand the cultural and religious importance of this work, we can revel in its outstanding beauty and skilled artistry.   « Less

Gold Pendant of a Jaguar/Buzzard Composite Creature - FJ.6209, Origin: Costa Rican/Panamanian Border Area, Circa: 500 AD to 1550 AD, Dimensions: 1.125" (2.9cm) high,  More »

Gold Pendant of a Jaguar/Buzzard Composite Creature - FJ.6209, Origin: Costa Rican/Panamanian Border Area, Circa: 500 AD to 1550 AD, Dimensions: 1.125" (2.9cm) high, Collection: Pre-Columbian, Style: Costa Rican, Medium: Gold. This little masterpiece of Pre-Columbian gold silently shimmers in all its ancient glory. Depicting a composite creature, the work combines the powerful forces of artistic ingenuity and technical mastery with supernatural, mythical imagery. This fabulous zoomorphic creature features characteristic of both the king buzzard and the jaguar. The head is adorned with a fanciful and delicate filigree of beautiful symmetrical coils of gold. This ornamentation most probably portrays the stylized representation of the characteristic folds of skin of the king buzzard which have a bright pattern of red, black and orange. Applied gold circular eyes are encircled by a thin line of gold. The glistening, curved beak clearly represents the strong, hooked beak of the king buzzard. The king buzzard symbolized the protecting spirit or "alter-ego" of a social group, clan or individual. The body, legs, paws, and taunt, curly tail depict the jaguar. The jaguar has had great mythological significance in Pre-Columbian art from the earliest Olmec civilization. The great cat, both beautiful and fierce, has been the subject of devotion and adoration for centuries. The two loops on its front paws suggest that it was worn as a pendant. The creature is full of dynamic power, appearing ready to pounce on an unsuspecting prey. Such an extraordinary pendant was certainly worn by a person of high rank and social authority, such as a king or shaman.   « Less

Tairona Gold Miniature Pendant of a Jaguar - FJ.6870a, Origin: Colombia, Circa: 10 th Century AD to 15 th Century AD, Dimensions: .625" (1.6cm) high, Collection:  More »

Tairona Gold Miniature Pendant of a Jaguar - FJ.6870a, Origin: Colombia, Circa: 10 th Century AD to 15 th Century AD, Dimensions: .625" (1.6cm) high, Collection: Pre-Columbian, Style: Tairona, Medium: Gold. At the time of the Spanish Conquest of the Americas, in the Sierra Nevada mountain chain of northern Colombia, a lively metallurgical tradition among the Chibcha-speaking Tairona. The Tairona culture began their process of consolidation as a social and political entity in the first centuries after Christ, reaching their apex of development after 1000 A.D. when dense populations were grouped together in many urban centers. Today, over two hundred Tairona sites are known, ranging from the coastal lowlands to the heights of the mountains. Settlements of varying sizes reflect a hierarchical political order; several large centers controlled numerous smaller ones, through a chiefly and priestly elite. Tairona goldwork reveals a complex iconography often combining both animal and human features. The Kogi people of the Sierra Nevadas, modern descendents of the Tairona, do not value gold, or other metal and gems for that matter, as indicators of wealth and personal prestige. For them, gold is a symbol of potential fertility belonging to all members of their society. The sun, the penultimate procreating force, transmits its power to gold, presumably endowing the metal with its yellowish hue. We can presume that the Tairona originally viewed gold much the same way, as ornaments charged with potent symbolism relating to the continuation of life. Perhaps this idea of gold as a fertile force is no better embodied than in this diminutive sculptural pendant representing a recumbent jaguar. The feline’s head is raised, as if listening to some distant rustling, while the tail curves over the back of the body. The jaguar was the penultimate creature of the Pre-Columbian zoological pantheon revered for its fierceness and associated with kings and rulers. This pendant, featuring a loop holes that double as the jaguars front paws, would have most likely been worn as a necklace imbuing the wearer with the potent energies of both the subject mater and the material.   « Less

Gold Pendant Strung on Sodolite and Misceallaneous Ancient Beads - PF.3256, Origin: Colombia, Circa: 300 AD to 1200 AD, Collection: Pre-Columbian Art, Medium: Gold, Sodolite.

Gold Pendant Strung on Sodolite and Misceallaneous Ancient Beads - PF.3256, Origin: Colombia, Circa: 300 AD to 1200 AD, Collection: Pre-Columbian Art, Medium: Gold, Sodolite.   « Less

Calima Gold Necklace - SP.210, Origin: Colombia, Circa: 800 AD to 1000 AD, Dimensions: 8" (20.3cm) high x 9.75" (24.8cm) wide, Collection: Pre- Columbian, Style: Colima,  More »

Calima Gold Necklace - SP.210, Origin: Colombia, Circa: 800 AD to 1000 AD, Dimensions: 8" (20.3cm) high x 9.75" (24.8cm) wide, Collection: Pre- Columbian, Style: Colima, Medium: Gold.   « Less

Pre-Columbian Gold Avian Pectoral - FJ.0018, Origin: Costa Rica, Circa: 900 AD to 1500 AD, Collection: Pre-Columbian, Medium: Gold.

Pre-Columbian Gold Avian Pectoral - FJ.0018, Origin: Costa Rica, Circa: 900 AD to 1500 AD, Collection: Pre-Columbian, Medium: Gold.   « Less

Costa Rican gold Pendant - FJ.0019, Origin: Costa Rica, Circa: 1100 AD to 1500 AD, Collection: Pre-Columbian Art, Style: Pre-Columbian gold, Medium: Gold.

Costa Rican gold Pendant - FJ.0019, Origin: Costa Rica, Circa: 1100 AD to 1500 AD, Collection: Pre-Columbian Art, Style: Pre-Columbian gold, Medium: Gold.   « Less

Pair of Gold Earings/ Hair Ornaments - GC.42, Origin: Colombia, Circa: 800 AD to 1200 AD, Dimensions: 3" (7.6cm) high, Collection: Pre- Columbian Gold, Style: Tairona,  More »

Pair of Gold Earings/ Hair Ornaments - GC.42, Origin: Colombia, Circa: 800 AD to 1200 AD, Dimensions: 3" (7.6cm) high, Collection: Pre- Columbian Gold, Style: Tairona, Medium: Gold, Condition: Fine.   « Less

Tairona Gold Pendant of a Seated Bound Female - OF.202, Origin: Columbia, Circa: 900 AD to 1200 AD, Dimensions: 2.0" (5.1cm) high, Collection: Pre-Columbian, Style: Tairona,  More »

Tairona Gold Pendant of a Seated Bound Female - OF.202, Origin: Columbia, Circa: 900 AD to 1200 AD, Dimensions: 2.0" (5.1cm) high, Collection: Pre-Columbian, Style: Tairona, Medium: Gold .   « Less

Tairona Gold Pendant of a Standing Woman - OF.211, Origin: Columbia, Circa: 900 AD to 1200 AD, Dimensions: 1.9" (4.8cm) high, Collection: Pre-Columbian, Style: Tairona,  More »

Tairona Gold Pendant of a Standing Woman - OF.211, Origin: Columbia, Circa: 900 AD to 1200 AD, Dimensions: 1.9" (4.8cm) high, Collection: Pre-Columbian, Style: Tairona, Medium: Gold.   « Less