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Bird Pendant
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
The kinds of birds represented in pendants of the isthmus are not clear, though the emphasis on spread wings and flight suggests birds that soar, such as eagles or hawks. In addition to their aerial agility, they are powerful birds of prey and, therefore, may have symbolized a warrior's or hunter's ferocity and skill. They were also often linked to the sun. Better understanding is difficult because the makers created no written records.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineBird Pendant, c. 1000–1550. Panama, Veraguas-Chiriquí style, 10th-16th century. Cast gold; overall: 5.6 x 6.5 x 2 cm (2 3/16 x 2 9/16 x 13/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1943.289
