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Source Description
This gold pendant combines the characteristics of a frog, an iguana, a crocodile and a shark. The motif seen coming from the creature's mouth is a double-headed crocodile. This stylized motif is seen everywhere in Pre-Conquest Panamanian art. Smaller crocodile heads sprout from the creature's "shoulders" to support the double headed crocodiles coming out of the animal's mouth. The head appears to be that of a frog, with large, round eyes that bulge out. Along the creature's spine are open designs in the shape of triangles, much like spines on the back of an iguana or a crocodile. The creature's limbs have stylized crocodile heads at their ends. A large, fish-like tail protrudes from the creature's end. Finally, the open mouth, seen only in profile, displays an impressive set of pointed teeth, enlarged versions of crocodile or shark teeth.Part of the first group of ancient American gold objects to enter Henry Walters' collection, this composite amphibian creature is typical of the Gran Chiriqui style of Panama.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
34003
label
Amphibian Pendant
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
34003
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Amphibian Pendant
description
This gold pendant combines the characteristics of a frog, an iguana, a crocodile and a shark. The motif seen coming from the creature's mouth is a double-headed crocodile. This stylized motif is seen everywhere in Pre-Conquest Panamanian art. Smaller crocodile heads sprout from the creature's "shoulders" to support the double headed crocodiles coming out of the animal's mouth. The head appears to be that of a frog, with large, round eyes that bulge out. Along the creature's spine are open designs in the shape of triangles, much like spines on the back of an iguana or a crocodile. The creature's limbs have stylized crocodile heads at their ends. A large, fish-like tail protrudes from the creature's end. Finally, the open mouth, seen only in profile, displays an impressive set of pointed teeth, enlarged versions of crocodile or shark teeth.Part of the first group of ancient American gold objects to enter Henry Walters' collection, this composite amphibian creature is typical of the Gran Chiriqui style of Panama.
provenance
Tiffany & Co., New York; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1911, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
ca. 800-1500 (Pre-Colombian)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Gold, Silver & Jewelry
pendants (jewelry)
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
8.4
height
6
depth
1.7
dimensionsRaw
L: 3 5/16 × W: 2 3/8 × D: 11/16 in. (8.4 × 6 × 1.7 cm)
Source extras
cul
Gran Chiriquí
style
Gran Chiriqui
med
gold
creator_ids
15521
collection_ids
AME
JWL
exhibition_ids
3381
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
7fec485c0325db9d