Shell with Inlaid Feline | Cleveland Museum of Art

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.)

In memory of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Humphreys, gift of their daughter Helen 1950.567

Location: 232 Andean

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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.

Shell with Inlaid Feline

Shell with Inlaid Feline

100 BCE–700 CE

Peru, South Coast, Nasca

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