Detail View: The AMICA Library: Supernatural Crocodilian Plaque
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AMICA ID:
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CMA_.1952.459
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AMICA Library Year:
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2000
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Object Type:
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Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
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Creator Name:
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Unknown
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Creator Nationality:
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North American; Central American; Panamanian
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Creator Name-CRT:
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Central Panama, (Sitio Conte), Conte Style
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Title:
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Supernatural Crocodilian Plaque
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Title Type:
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Primary
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View:
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Full View
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Creation Date:
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c. 700-900
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Creation Start Date:
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700
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Creation End Date:
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900
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Materials and Techniques:
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hammered and embossed gold
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Classification Term:
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Metalwork
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Classification Term:
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Metalwork
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Style or Period:
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Central Panama, (Sitio Conte), Conte Style
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Dimensions:
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Overall: 25.1cm x 26.7cm
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AMICA Contributor:
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The Cleveland Museum of Art
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Owner Location:
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Cleveland, Ohio, USA
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ID Number:
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1952.459
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Credit Line:
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Gift of Mrs. R. Henry Norweb, Mrs. Albert S. Ingalls, with additions from the John L. Severance Fund
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Rights:
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Provenance:
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Grave 26, excavated by the Harvard Peabody Museum, 1930-1933
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Context:
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This plaque, which probably served as a breast-plate, was excavated by the Harvard Peabody Museum between 1930 and 1933. It was found at Sitio Conte in Tomb 26, the largest and most spectacular grave at the site. The tomb's principal occupant, buried in an upright, seated position, was a young adult male. He was accompanied in death by the bodies of 21 sacrificed companions, probably wives and retainers. The offerings of gold, pottery, and other goods placed with many of the corpses may have been their personal property. This gold plaque was among the principal occupant's possessions that were piled next to his body. The Supernatural being portrayed on the plaque combines both human and reptilian traits. Such composite creatures, sometimes called the 'Crocodile God,' were frequently portrayed on pottery vessels, whale tooth carvings, cast gold pendants, and hammered gold ornaments.
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Related Image Identifier Link:
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CMA_.1952.459.tif
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