Shell with Inlaid Feline
Unknown Artist
100 BCE–700 CE
Medium
Spondylus shell with shell, stone, and gold inlay
Dimensions
7.5 × 7.4 cm
Classification
Jewelry
Department
Art of the Americas
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
In memory of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Humphreys, gift of their daughter Helen
Accession Number
1950.567
About this artwork
This ornament is made of a spondylus shell, from which the exterior surface has been carved away to reveal a layer of bright orange. The pampas cat inlaid on the surface in multicolored shell and stone has bean-shaped spots on his body, and grasps a gold gourd or fruit. In both Paracas and Nasca art, the small, non-domesticated pampas cat is strongly associated with beans and other crops. Perhaps it was thought to guard the fields from rodents and other pests.