The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of March 29, 2024
Shell with Inlaid Feline
100 BCE–700 CE
Overall: 7.5 x 7.4 cm (2 15/16 x 2 15/16 in.)
Location: 232 Andean
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.- Richardson, James B. People of the Andes. Montreal: St. Remy Press, 1994. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 97Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and Frances Marzio. Miniature Size, Magical Quality: Nasca Art from the Glassell Collection. Houston: Museum of Fine Arts, 2007. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 13Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 333
- {{cite web|title=Shell with Inlaid Feline|url=false|author=|year=100 BCE–700 CE|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1950.567