Animal-Headed Figure Pendant
Unknown Artist
1–800 CE
Medium
cast gold
Dimensions
5 × 4.2 × 1.3 cm
Classification
Metalwork
Department
Art of the Americas
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1939.514
About this artwork
The same creature, nasty but precious, appears in both pendants (1939.515). Human in its posture and arms, its head is that of an animal with a long, toothy snout. It holds batons to its mouth, and whiskers or ears flare from the sides of the head. The little headdress domes are mystifying; they have been described as mushrooms, gourds, and ceramic vessels, among other things.