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Source Description
Pendants were worn by men around the neck on ceremonial occasions. Columbus noted that the inhabitants of Panama who came to greet him wore gold pendants. This piece could have been created in Columbus's time or during the previous 600 years.The animals represented are often fierce ones with which a warrior would have wanted to associate. Two animals are frequently combined, creating a mythic creature with composite attributes. This crocodile-like pendant has either a double-tongue, or more likely a double-headed snake in its mouth. The tail is divided in two parts. The heads of the snake, as well as the claws of the feet are formed of spiral-like attachments. The loops for suspension are under the forefeet.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
36123
label
Crocodile Pendant
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
36123
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Crocodile Pendant
description
Pendants were worn by men around the neck on ceremonial occasions. Columbus noted that the inhabitants of Panama who came to greet him wore gold pendants. This piece could have been created in Columbus's time or during the previous 600 years.The animals represented are often fierce ones with which a warrior would have wanted to associate. Two animals are frequently combined, creating a mythic creature with composite attributes. This crocodile-like pendant has either a double-tongue, or more likely a double-headed snake in its mouth. The tail is divided in two parts. The heads of the snake, as well as the claws of the feet are formed of spiral-like attachments. The loops for suspension are under the forefeet.
provenance
Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1911 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
800-1521 (Pre-Early Conquest)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Gold, Silver & Jewelry
pendants (jewelry)
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
2 3/8 in. (6.03 cm)
Source extras
cul
Panamanian
med
gold and copper alloy
creator_ids
15521
collection_ids
AME
exhibition_ids
none
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
ff60c1bf9b8f600c