Bell Pendant with Animal Motifs
Unknown artist, Diquís Delta, Greater Chiriqui, Costa Rica. Bell Pendant with Animal Motifs, 800–1522 CE. Gold alloy, 2 ¾ x 2 ⅞ x ¾ inches. Denver Art Museum Collection: Gift of the Collection of Frederick and Jan Mayer, 1996.109.
Bell Pendant with Animal Motifs
About A.D. 500–1550
Costa Rica, Diquís region
Gold alloy
Gift of Frederick and Jan Mayer; 1996.109
At the center of this large gold pendant is a composite deer-bird creature whose rounded belly is a bell. The legs are replaced by four smaller deer heads, and at the base is a flared bird tail. Encircling the deer-bird is a braided arch, and an outer frame composed of seven four-legged creatures with curly tails and birdlike heads.
The pendant was made using the lost-wax casting process, which involves making a wax model of the desired object, then encasing it in clay to form a mold. Heating the mold melts the wax, and molten metal is then poured into the mold. After cooling, the clay mold is broken away. Objects produced in this manner are thus unique.