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Source Description
These plaques showing a powerful Chavín deity may come from a group of gold objects found in a lavish tomb in the 1920s. One is shaped as the deity’s fanged head, its fur transformed into sixteen serpents that edge the plaque. On the other, the deity’s visually elusive body also appears: the clawed hands over the chest may clutch a horizontal staff, an emblem of authority; across the waist is a belt that sprouts serpents; and beneath are the legs and feet, which stand atop fanged masks.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
117824
label
Plaque
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
117824
contentType
object
title
Plaque
description
These plaques showing a powerful Chavín deity may come from a group of gold objects found in a lavish tomb in the 1920s. One is shaped as the deity’s fanged head, its fur transformed into sixteen serpents that edge the plaque. On the other, the deity’s visually elusive body also appears: the clawed hands over the chest may clutch a horizontal staff, an emblem of authority; across the waist is a belt that sprouts serpents; and beneath are the legs and feet, which stand atop fanged masks.
date
c. 500–200 BCE
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60756989
genreSpecific
Jewelry
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 12.5 x 13.8 cm (4 15/16 x 5 7/16 in.)
cul
Peru, North Coast, Chongoyape(?), Chavín style (900-200 BCE)
accession
1938.431
Source extras
tec
hammered and cut gold
tombstone
Plaque, c. 500–200 BCE. Peru, North Coast, Chongoyape(?), Chavín style (900-200 BCE). Hammered and cut gold; overall: 12.5 x 13.8 cm (4 15/16 x 5 7/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Dudley P. Allen Fund, 1938.431
collection
AA - Andes
didYouKnow
Hammered gold ornaments have been produced in the Andes since 1500 BCE.
citations
citation
Milliken, William. "Two Chavin Vessels." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art </em>42, no. 9 (November 1955): 203-205.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 204
creditline
Dudley P. Allen Fund
sketchfabId
26dee141e6024655b6cee75414203a1d
updatedAt
2026-06-18 21:17:44.319000
sourceId
117824
dept
Art of the Americas
coll
AA - Andes
med
hammered and cut gold
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
26f0316776e26b2d