Figural Pendant, AD 1–800. Isthmian Region (Colombia), Tolima, 1st-8th century. Gold, cast and hammered; overall: x x 1 cm (11 9/16 x 6 3/8 x 3/8 in.). Colombia's Tolima region is justly famous for arrestingly abstracted figures like this one, among the largest of its kind. Such figures, worn as necklace pendants by chiefs and other elites, seem to be based on the human form. But they also incorporate animal features, often an upturned, bifurcated tail sometimes compared to that of a serpent and large, angled head appendages that may refer to animal ears or even insect antennae.

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Size: 2550px × 3400px
Photo credit: © CMA/BOT / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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