pendant
- Museum number
- Am1910,1202.11
- Description
-
Zoomorphic pendant in the form of a sea shell made of tumbaga by lost-wax casting with core. It depicts a long shell with a spiral-shaped groove in the lower half and a cylinder for passing a cord in the upper end.
- Production date
- 500BC-700
- Dimensions
-
Length: 2 centimetres
-
Width: 8 centimetres
-
Depth: 2.50 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- Vila Llonch 2013
Seashells and land snail shells were highly valued throughout South and Central America. Traders carried a wide range from the Caribbean and Pacific coasts to highland communities. Conch shells were used for body ornaments and musical instruments, while some shells were crushed and ingested as part of ritual practices, and others were offered to the gods. The fact that shells were also cast in gold shows their importance and value to the ancient Colombian people.
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
2013 Oct 17 - 2014 Mar 23. BM, ‘Beyond El Dorado: Power and Gold in Ancient Colombia’
- Acquisition date
- 1910
- Department
- Africa, Oceania and the Americas
- Registration number
- Am1910,1202.11
