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HOME :
Pre-Columbian Art :
Pre-Columbian Masterpieces : Gold Pendant of a Jaguar with a Head on its Tail
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Gold Pendant of a Jaguar with a Head on its Tail - FJ.6049
Origin: Costa Rican/Panamanian Border Area
Circa: 500
AD
to 1550
AD
Dimensions:
3.25" (8.3cm) depth
Catalogue: V21
Collection: Pre-Columbian
Medium: Gold
Additional Information: heather/2, SOLD
Location: Great Britain
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| Description |
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
admiration for centuries. The gold
masterpiece
which silently shimmers in all its glory
and
mystery
before us is undoubtedly an exceptional
work of
art. It combines the powerful forces of
artistic
ingenuity with supernatural and mythical
imagery.
Under the influence of hallucionatory
drugs, the
shaman could turn at will into a jaguar,
and in this
supernatural disguise he had great
powers. The
tail of the jaguar terminates into an
energetic
jaguar head with applied circular eyes
and
snarling
mouth with an applied nose and ears.
Both front
and rear legs of the jaguar are similar
in form and
create a feeling of swift movement. The
back
portion of the jaguar from the tail to
ears is
adormed with a fanciful and delicate
filigree of
beautiful symmetrical coils of gold.
Ornate
braided gold filigree encircles the
applied circular
eyes on the large jaguar's head and
fierce fangs
curl around the upper and lower lips.
The nose
and ears are prominent and alert! The
two loops
on its front paws lead us to believe
that it was
worn
as a pendant. The entire composition is
full of
unexpected surprises and dynamic power.
Such
an
extraordinary pendant was cetainly worn
by a
person of high rank and authority in
society.
- (FJ.6049)
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