The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 22, 2024

Pectoral Ornament

Pectoral Ornament

c. 1200–1519
Location: not on view

Description

This extraordinary pendant consists of a conch shell section carved in jade, enclosed in a delicate gold frame with tiny dangling bells. This symbol was worn by the deity Quetzalcoatl (Feathered Serpent), a culture hero credited in one myth with creating human life by sprinkling his blood on ground bones. The pectoral may have been worn by a priest, or by a ceremonial impersonator of Quetzalcoatl.
  • ?-1966
    (André Emmerich, Inc., New York, NY, 1966, sold to James C. and Florence C. Gruener)
    1966-1983
    James C. Gruener [1903-1990], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1983-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Turner, Evan H. "Year in Review for 1983." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 71, no. 2 (1984): 38-79. Mentioned: P. 76, no. 222 www.jstor.org
    Young-Sánchez, Margaret. "The Gruener Collection of Pre-Columbian Art." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 79, no. 7 (1992): 234-75. Mentioned and reproduced: No. 109, p. 262 www.jstor.org
  • The Gruener Collection of Pre-Columbian Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 4-November 29, 1992).
    The Year in Review for 1983. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 22-April 8, 1984).
  • {{cite web|title=Pectoral Ornament|url=false|author=|year=c. 1200–1519|access-date=22 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1983.190