Frog pendant
Unknown Artist
11th–16th century
Medium
Gold
Dimensions
L. 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm)
Classification
Metal-Ornaments
Culture
Chiriqui
Department
Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Edward C. Moore Collection, Bequest of Edward C. Moore, 1891
Accession Number
91.1.1161
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite Frog Pendant, crafted by an unknown Chiriqui artist between the 11th and 16th centuries, exemplifies the masterful goldworking traditions of pre-Columbian Panama. Measuring just 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm) in, this delicate ornament from the Chiriqui culture—indigenous to the region now encompassing western Panama—likely served as personal adornment, perhaps worn as jewelry or a ritual item. Its small scale belies the sophistication of its design, capturing the frog's dynamic form in shimmering gold, a material revered for its rarity and symbolic ties to the sun, wealth, and divine po...