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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 a dignified, long-beaked bird whose body contains a pellet that rattles when the finial moves. 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
172541
label
Finial with Long-Beaked Bird
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
172541
contentType
object
title
Finial with Long-Beaked Bird
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 a dignified, long-beaked bird whose body contains a pellet that rattles when the finial moves. 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
Q60759546
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 11.1 x 4.3 x 9.5 cm (4 3/8 x 1 11/16 x 3 3/4 in.)
cul
Isthmian Region (Colombia), Sinú (Zenú), 5th century-11th century
accession
2015.4
Source extras
tec
gold, cast
tombstone
Finial with Long-Beaked Bird, 400–1000. Isthmian Region (Colombia), Sinú (Zenú), 5th century-11th century. Gold, cast; overall: 11.1 x 4.3 x 9.5 cm (4 3/8 x 1 11/16 x 3 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund, 2015.4
collection
AA - Intermediate Region
didYouKnow
Birds, particularly water birds, may have been thought to travel between the different layers of the universe.
creditline
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:50:18.502000
sourceId
172541
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
a99f3c41bf3e7594