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Plaque

c. 500–200 BCE
(900-200 BCE)
hammered and cut gold
Overall: 12.5 x 13.8 cm (4 15/16 x 5 7/16 in.)
Dudley P. Allen Fund 1938.431
Location: 232 Andean
Public Domain
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Did You Know?

Hammered gold ornaments have been produced in the Andes since 1500 BCE.

Description

These plaques showing a powerful Chavín deity may come from a group of gold objects found in a lavish tomb in the 1920s. One is shaped as the deity’s fanged head, its fur transformed into sixteen serpents that edge the plaque. On the other, the deity’s visually elusive body also appears: the clawed hands over the chest may clutch a horizontal staff, an emblem of authority; across the waist is a belt that sprouts serpents; and beneath are the legs and feet, which stand atop fanged masks.
Plaque

Plaque

c. 500–200 BCE

Peru, North Coast, Chongoyape(?), Chavín style (900-200 BCE)

See Also

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Chavin Metalwork

The Staff Deity

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