Pectoral Disk (Patena)
Unknown Artist
8th–12th century
Medium
Gold
Dimensions
H. 5 1/2 × W. 5 1/2 × D. 1/2 in. (14 × 14 × 1.3 cm)
Classification
Metal-Ornaments
Culture
Coclé (Macaracas)
Department
Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Jan Mitchell and Sons Collection, Gift of Jan Mitchell, 1991
Accession Number
1991.419.14
Art Historical Context
This exquisite gold pectoral disk, as a *patena*, hails from the Coclé culture's Macaracas phase in ancient Panama, dating to the 8th–12th century. Measuring a compact 5½ inches across, it exemplifies the masterful metalwork of pre-Columbian in the Isthmus of Panama. Worn as a chest ornament by elites, such disks were powerful symbols of status and spiritual authority, adorning the bodies of chiefs or shamans during ceremonies. Crafted entirely from gold—a metal revered for its solar associations and rarity—the piece highlights the Coclé people's advanced techniques, likely involving hammerin...