Staff Head(?)
Unknown Artist
c. 400–700
Medium
cast gold
Dimensions
8.3 × 7.2 × 2.4 cm
Classification
Metalwork
Department
Art of the Americas
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1944.319
About this artwork
The two-headed beast that crouches on the top of this object-perhaps a staff finial (head)-holds a human head or perhaps a mask between its paws. The silken surface and simple, elegant design identify the finial as of the International style, so-called because it crossed ancient boundaries and is found in Colombia as well as Costa Rica and Panama.