Elisenda Vila Llonch curator at BM specialising in pre-Columbian art and architecture and helped organise the show Beyond El Dorado: power and gold in ancient Colombia autumn show at the British Museum Sponsored by Bank Julius Baer. Additional support provided by American Airlines. Gold [alloy] was used to fashion some of the most visually dramatic and technically sophisticated works of art found anywhere in the Americas before European contact. This exhibition will feature up to 250 spectacular masterworks borrowed from the renowned Gold Museum in Bogota, Colombia, as well as objects dra
Elisenda Vila Llonch curator at BM specialising in pre-Columbian art and architecture and helped organise the show Beyond El Dorado: power and gold in ancient Colombia autumn show at the British Museum Sponsored by Bank Julius Baer. Additional support provided by American Airlines. Gold [alloy] was used to fashion some of the most visually dramatic and technically sophisticated works of art found anywhere in the Americas before European contact. This exhibition will feature up to 250 spectacular masterworks borrowed from the renowned Gold Museum in Bogota, Colombia, as well as objects drawn from the British MuseumÕs own collection. The exhibition will examine the ritual that lies behind the myth of El Dorado and its later reinterpretations including the legendary 'Lost City of Gold' that fascinated European explorers for over two centuries. A selection of objects including gold, ceramics, textiles and featherwork will be displayed, focussing on six of the thirty chiefdoms that populated the northern Andean landscape before the arrival of the Europeans. Many outstanding objects are reserved to accompany the dead on their journey into the spirit world. The exhibition will show how gold marked the threshold between the living and the dead and explain why it had so much symbolic significance. A selection of objects including gold, ceramics, textiles and featherwork will be displayed, focussing on six of the thirty chiefdoms that populated the northern Andean landscape before the arrival of the Europeans. Helmet, Early Quimbaya, gold alloy, 500BC-AD600. This warrior helmet was made from hammered gold alloy, decorated with figures and geometric patterns. The soft nature of the metal means that these impressive helmets were not made to protect the wearer in battle. Instead the shining gold, reflecting the light, would have marked the status of the wearer and symbolically linked him to the power of the sun. Seated female poporo, Quimbaya, gold alloy, AD600
Size: 2832px × 4256px
Photo credit: © roger parkes / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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