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Source Description
This extraordinary pendant consists of a conch shell section carved in jade, enclosed in a delicate gold frame with tiny dangling bells. This symbol was worn by the deity Quetzalcoatl (Feathered Serpent), a culture hero credited in one myth with creating human life by sprinkling his blood on ground bones. The pectoral may have been worn by a priest, or by a ceremonial impersonator of Quetzalcoatl.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
151345
label
Pectoral Ornament
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
151345
contentType
object
title
Pectoral Ornament
description
This extraordinary pendant consists of a conch shell section carved in jade, enclosed in a delicate gold frame with tiny dangling bells. This symbol was worn by the deity Quetzalcoatl (Feathered Serpent), a culture hero credited in one myth with creating human life by sprinkling his blood on ground bones. The pectoral may have been worn by a priest, or by a ceremonial impersonator of Quetzalcoatl.
date
c. 1200–1519
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79934705
genreSpecific
Jewelry
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 8 x 7.2 cm (3 1/8 x 2 13/16 in.)
cul
Mexico, Guerrero, Ichcatiopan, Mixtec or Aztec style
accession
1983.19
Source extras
tec
gold, jadeite
tombstone
Pectoral Ornament, c. 1200–1519. Mexico, Guerrero, Ichcatiopan, Mixtec or Aztec style. Gold, jadeite; overall: 8 x 7.2 cm (3 1/8 x 2 13/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of James C. Gruener in memory of his wife, Florence Crowell Gruener, 1983.190
collection
AA - Mesoamerica
formerAccessionNumbers
818.1966
citations
citation
Turner, Evan H. "Year in Review for 1983." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 71, no. 2 (1984): 38-79.
page_number
Mentioned: P. 76, no. 222
citation
Young-Sánchez, Margaret. "The Gruener Collection of Pre-Columbian Art." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 79, no. 7 (1992): 234-75.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: No. 109, p. 262
creditline
Gift of James C. Gruener in memory of his wife, Florence Crowell Gruener
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:48:59.860000
sourceId
151345
dept
Art of the Americas
coll
AA - Mesoamerica
med
gold, jadeite
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
6ef6ddb461c29986