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Source Description
Unique to Colombia's Sinú region are gold finials with sculptural images at right angles to thimble-like caps; the caps fit over the end of a staff, an emblem of rank that may have been held horizontally. This impressive finial features two deer (or a single creature with two deer heads) that hold human-like hands over their chests. Sinú animal imagery is understudied but may relate to beliefs about the cosmos. For instance, contemporary natives attribute importance to birds because they have the capacity to move among different environments (air, land, water); they may have been regarded as mediators among levels of the cosmos.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
172556
label
Finial with Two Deer
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
172556
contentType
object
title
Finial with Two Deer
description
Unique to Colombia's Sinú region are gold finials with sculptural images at right angles to thimble-like caps; the caps fit over the end of a staff, an emblem of rank that may have been held horizontally. This impressive finial features two deer (or a single creature with two deer heads) that hold human-like hands over their chests. Sinú animal imagery is understudied but may relate to beliefs about the cosmos. For instance, contemporary natives attribute importance to birds because they have the capacity to move among different environments (air, land, water); they may have been regarded as mediators among levels of the cosmos.
date
400–1000
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60758515
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 6.8 x 4.3 x 7.4 cm (2 11/16 x 1 11/16 x 2 15/16 in.)
cul
Isthmian Region (Colombia), Sinú (Zenú), 5th century-11th century
accession
2015.5
Source extras
tec
gold, cast
tombstone
Finial with Two Deer, 400–1000. Isthmian Region (Colombia), Sinú (Zenú), 5th century-11th century. Gold, cast; overall: 6.8 x 4.3 x 7.4 cm (2 11/16 x 1 11/16 x 2 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund, 2015.5
collection
AA - Intermediate Region
didYouKnow
This exquisite finial was made using the lost-wax casting process.
citations
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Museum Masters: 2016-17 Companion Guide.</em> [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2016.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: P. 82-83
citation
Bergh, Susan E. “Acquisitions 2015: Pre-Columbian and Native North American Art.” <em>Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine</em> 56, no. 2 (March/April 2016): 32-33.
page_number
Reproduced and Mentioned: p. 32
creditline
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:50:22.653000
sourceId
172556
dept
Art of the Americas
coll
AA - Intermediate Region
med
gold, cast
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
d488fc1df729cace