The pale green of this pendant's stone is as
lovely as the graceful carving. Worn by someone
of high rank as a symbol of office, the artist who
carved it was given the challenge of creating a
figure of power on a small scale. With refined
simplicity he accomplished this objective by
giving such expression to the face using circular
holes for the features. The shape of the head and
nose are similar to that of a monkey, though
there is something quite human in the figure's
"presence", particularly in the way the hands curl
up uniformly on either side of the chest, as if in a
ritual posture. The "blade" portion could function
as a sort of skirt or sarong worn perhaps by
shamans in ceremony. This recalls certain gold
objects from Costa Rica depicting shamans
wearing animal masks as part of their ritual
costume. It is a testimony to the lapidary skills of
a talented artist, and the culture within which
this pendant was made; that something held in
the palm of one's hand could be so monumental.
- (PF.4785)
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