Winged Pendant
Unknown Artist
before 16th century
Medium
Stone
Dimensions
Height 1-1/8 in.
Classification
Stone-Ornaments
Culture
Tairona
Department
Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Arthur M. Bullowa, 1993
Accession Number
1994.35.616
Art Historical Context
This delicate Winged Pendant, crafted by an unknown Tairona artist before the16th century, exemplifies masterful stone carving traditions of the Tairona from Colombia's Sierra Nevada de Santa region. Standing just 1-1/8 inches tall, this small ornament was likely worn as personal jewelry or used in rituals, reflecting the Tairona's sophisticated pre-Columbian society, which flourished from around 1000 to 1500 CE. The winged form—possibly evoking birds, spirits, or deities—highlights their deep connection to nature and cosmology, where such motifs symbolized flight, protection, or the supernatu...