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Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
Pectoral Ornament
Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
© Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami. All rights reserved.

Pectoral Ornament

Artist/Maker (Panama)
Dateca. 1000-1550
Mediumgold
DimensionsOverall: 4 3/8 × 4 1/2 × 1/8 in. (11.1 × 11.4 × 0.3 cm)
ClassificationsCostumes and Accessories
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Barry Fitzmorris
Terms
    Object number2007.52.19
    DescriptionDuring the period when this pectoral ornament was created, the Gran Coclé culture flourished in the center of the country. Most ancient gold objects from Panamá have been found within Gran Coclé sites, especially from burials that also included pottery vessels, tools, weapons, and fabric. According to Spanish records from the sixteenth century, elaborate burial in Panamá was reserved for the chiefs and nobility. Disks similar to this one, typically ranging in size from about four to eight inches in diameter, usually have two holes close to the edge, suggesting that they were worn as chest ornaments. Many of these pectoral ornaments, also known as patenas, are remarkable in their simplicity, with the designs typically restricted to the edges of the disk. Some disks, however, have intricate decoration across the entire surface. Rows of raised dots around the rim are a common motif, however, in this piece the edges have been hammered, creating a rough edge juxtaposed against the smooth center. The reflective quality of these gold disks is striking as well; in the early 1500s, when Christopher Columbus sailed along the Caribbean coast of present-day Costa Rica and Panamá, he reported, “Indians wearing mirrors around their necks.” It is possible that he was referring to gold pectoral ornaments similar to this one, which would have reflected sunlight like mirrors.
    On View
    Not on view
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Jama-Coaque
    200 BCE-600 CE
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Teotihuacán
    ca. 400-700
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Gran Coclé
    ca. 750-850
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Artist Unknown
    mid to late 17th century
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Artist Unknown
    1-700
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Diquis
    ca. 700-1550
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Lambayeque-Sicán
    800-1350
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Gran Chiriquí
    ca. 800-1200
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Artist Unknown
    ca. 1755
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Artist Unknown
    not dated
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Artist Unknown
    2nd to 3rd century