Finial
Unknown Artist
1000–1600
Medium
Bone
Dimensions
H. 2 1/2 × W. 1 7/8 × D. 1 in. (6.4 × 4.8 × 2.5 cm)
Classification
Bone/Ivory-Sculpture
Culture
Tairona
Department
Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of David Bernstein and Family, in memory of Dr. Paul Janssen, Vosselaar, Belgium
Accession Number
2003.586
Art Historical Context
This delicate bone finial, crafted by an unknown Tairona artist 1000 and 1600, hails from the indigenous Tairona culture of Colombia's Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The Tairona were masterful pre-Columbian artisans known for their hierarchical society and intricate carvings that reflected spiritual beliefs, cosmology, and social status. Finials like this one likely adorned the tops of staffs, ceremonial objects, or architectural elements, serving both practical and symbolic purposes in rituals or elite contexts. Carved from bone—possibly animal sourced for its workability and cultural resonan...