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Feline Pendant
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
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.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineFeline Pendant, 1000–1550. Isthmian Region, Panama-Costa Rica, Veraguas-Chiriquí style, 11th century-16th century. Gold, cast; overall: 3.4 x 3 cm (1 5/16 x 1 3/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund, 2015.11
