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Celt-Shaped Pendant
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Costa Rican jade pendants may imitate the shape of axe blades (celts) used for agriculture. The pendants often take the form of "axe gods," creatures with human, bird, or animal traits. Jade carving was common in Costa Rica before ad 500, but then declined in importance. Gold eventually replaced jade as the region’s preferred luxury material.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineCelt-Shaped Pendant, c. 300 BCE–600 CE. Costa Rica, Southern Nicoya region. Jadeite; overall: 15.2 x 5.4 cm (6 x 2 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, James Albert and Mary Gardiner Ford Memorial Fund, 1972.4
