The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

Bird Pendant

Bird Pendant

c. 1000–1550
Overall: 5.6 x 6.5 x 2 cm (2 3/16 x 2 9/16 x 13/16 in.)

Description

The kinds of birds represented in pendants of the isthmus are not clear, though the emphasis on spread wings and flight suggests birds that soar, such as eagles or hawks. In addition to their aerial agility, they are powerful birds of prey and, therefore, may have symbolized a warrior's or hunter's ferocity and skill. They were also often linked to the sun. Better understanding is difficult because the makers created no written records.
  • Mitchell, Jan, and Julie Jones. The Art of Precolumbian Gold: The Jan Mitchell Collection. Boston: Little, Brown and Co, 1985. 110-111
    Cleveland Museum of Art. Art of the Americas. [A Special Exhibition Held in the Museum from Nov. 8, 1945 Through Jan. 6, 1946. 1946. p. 50
  • Sacred Symbols: Three Thousand Years of Native American Art [FRAME]. Musée Fabre, Montpellier, France (July 16-September 29, 2002); Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen, Rouen, France (October 24, 2002-January 13, 2003); Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, 69001 Lyon, France (February 19-April 29, 2003); Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes, Rennes, France (May 27-August 18, 2003); Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN (organizer) (October 26, 2003-January 11, 2004).
    Treasures of Peruvian Gold. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (February 23-April 3, 1966).
    Treasures of Peruvian Gold, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, (February 23- April 3, 1966).
    Art of the Americas. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 9, 1945-January 6, 1946).
  • {{cite web|title=Bird Pendant|url=false|author=|year=c. 1000–1550|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1943.289