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Source Description
This ornament is made of a spondylus shell, from which the exterior surface has been carved away to reveal a layer of bright orange. The pampas cat inlaid on the surface in multicolored shell and stone has bean-shaped spots on his body, and grasps a gold gourd or fruit. In both Paracas and Nasca art, the small, non-domesticated pampas cat is strongly associated with beans and other crops. Perhaps it was thought to guard the fields from rodents and other pests.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
127935
label
Shell with Inlaid Feline
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
127935
contentType
object
title
Shell with Inlaid Feline
description
This ornament is made of a spondylus shell, from which the exterior surface has been carved away to reveal a layer of bright orange. The pampas cat inlaid on the surface in multicolored shell and stone has bean-shaped spots on his body, and grasps a gold gourd or fruit. In both Paracas and Nasca art, the small, non-domesticated pampas cat is strongly associated with beans and other crops. Perhaps it was thought to guard the fields from rodents and other pests.
date
100 BCE–700 CE
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60759380
genreSpecific
Jewelry
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 7.5 x 7.4 cm (2 15/16 x 2 15/16 in.)
cul
Peru, South Coast, Nasca
accession
1950.567
Source extras
tec
Spondylus shell with shell, stone, and gold inlay
tombstone
Shell with Inlaid Feline, 100 BCE–700 CE. Peru, South Coast, Nasca. Spondylus shell with shell, stone, and gold inlay; overall: 7.5 x 7.4 cm (2 15/16 x 2 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, In memory of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Humphreys, gift of their daughter Helen, 1950.567
collection
AA - Andes
citations
citation
Richardson, James B. <em>People of the Andes</em>. Montreal: St. Remy Press, 1994.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: P. 97
citation
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and Frances Marzio. <em>Miniature Size, Magical Quality: Nasca Art from the Glassell Collection.</em> Houston: Museum of Fine Arts, 2007.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: P. 13
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: P. 333
creditline
In memory of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Humphreys, gift of their daughter Helen
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:36:16.039000
sourceId
127935
dept
Art of the Americas
coll
AA - Andes
med
Spondylus shell with shell, stone, and gold inlay
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
7e22c3db874a4c8c