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HOME :
Pre-Columbian Art :
Pre-Columbian Masterpieces : Diquis Gold Pendant of a Scorpion
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Diquis Gold Pendant of a Scorpion - FJ.6202
Origin: Costa Rica/Panama
Circa: 500
AD
to 1550
AD
Dimensions:
4.75" (12.1cm) high
Catalogue: V23
Collection: Pre-Columbian
Medium: Gold
Additional Information: 246.5 grams/heather/2, Preusser Lab Test
Location: United States
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| Description |
The Diquis region of Costa Rica (which
borders
Panama) was one of the most important
gold
manufacturing centers in Pre-Columbian
times.
Gold was in plentiful supply from the
rivers
flowing towards the sea, and gold
jewelry was
considered a vital part of a person's
ornamentation and religious
paraphernalia.
Diquis goldsmith's developed a
distinctive local
style; often representing nature very
accurately,
but with a rich symbolism of complex
beliefs
that may be similar to the mythology of
present-
day Indians of the region. This
fantastic pendant
represents a beautifully detailed
scorpion
gripping onto two snakes with its many
legs. The
body has ridges on it back, finely
delineated
pincers and curved tail unique to
scorpions. Its
eyes are particularly charming,
squinting in the
way insects do, and full of character.
The two
snakes, used as side supports for
balance, each
have a double head and are purely
mythical. This
abstract element serves to heighten the
realism
of the scorpion. With remarkable skill a
highly
talented goldsmith took raw gold and
fashioned
it into something very beautiful and
powerful;
revealing nature through myth and magic,
formed into an object of pure radiance.
- (FJ.6202)
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