Bat-Nosed Figures Pendant
Unknown Artist
1000–1550
Medium
cast gold
Dimensions
4.2 × 8.1 × 1.6 cm
Classification
Metalwork
Department
Art of the Americas
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Thirty-fifth anniversary gift of Mrs. Albert Ingalls
Accession Number
1951.153
About this artwork
Both pendants depict paired figures with tusklike noses. The "tusks" perhaps refer to the upswept nose of the leaf-nosed bat, an agile hunter whose "leaf" helps it to snatch prey from midair. The bat's success as a hunter is part of the reason that some identify such paired figures as warriors. They each hold a paddle-shaped object; the larger pair, in elaborate costumes, also clutches staffs.