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Coclé/Parita Gold Pendant of Crested Animals

Currency:USD Category:Art Start Price:12,500.00 USD Estimated At:50,000.00 - 80,000.00 USD
Coclé/Parita Gold Pendant of Crested Animals
<B>Massive Pendant of Joined, Crested Supernaturals</B></I><BR>Coclé/Parita, Macaracas Phase<BR>A.D. 800 - 1100<BR>Gold, Weight 462.0 grams<BR>Height 4 1/8 in. Width 4 ¾ in.<BR><BR>In every way - conceptually, aesthetically, and technically - this is a masterpiece of the ancient gold worker's art. Two joined supernatural quadrupeds (of the type commonly called "crested crocodiles") with alert, out-turned heads strain against one another, their tense energy visibly embodied in this image. Upraised tails balance the large, squared off heads. The heads combine features from symbolic animals: the upturned nose and pointed ears of the bat, a primarily feline snarling mouth, and scutiform crocodilian crests. Bats are creatures of the sky and night; jaguars inhabit both earth and water as well as being active both day and night; and crocodiles, primarily underwater inhabitants, do come on the earth to sun, and in many New World mythic systems represent the Earth. The joining of two such potent beings by shared feet suggests dualities that are at once complementary and opposing. The small curled spirals on the necks are unusual, and might be intended to evoke the bubbling surface of water as the creatures move from one cosmological level to another. The addition of bands just above the feet and braided waist bands further bridges the worlds of humans, animals, and supernaturals. The right ear of the being at the viewer's left is bent, and there is a casting separation below the waist band of the right supernatural. Otherwise, the condition is excellent.<BR><BR>The lot is sold with a statement of authenticity from the distinguished expert Robert Sonin.<BR><BR>Provenance<BR>Charles Craig, Santa Barbara<BR><BR>