The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of November 14, 2024

Pectoral (Chest Ornament)

Pectoral (Chest Ornament)

1–800 CE
Overall: 22.7 x 28.5 x 2.9 cm (8 15/16 x 11 1/4 x 1 1/8 in.)

Did You Know?

Calima bilobed pectorals are among the largest torso ornaments ever made in the ancient Americas.

Description

Bilobed pectorals are some of the most flamboyant objects created by artists in Colombia’s Calima region. Chiefs apparently wore such pectorals—among the largest torso adornments ever created in the ancient Americas—with other gold objects, including bracelets, dramatic headdress adornments, and ear and nose ornaments like those shown on the pectoral itself. Thus, they armored themselves in gold, which likely had complex symbolism; for instance, it may have been associated with the sun and thereby with nourishing cosmic energies and positive moral behavior.
  • Cleveland Museum of Art. Museum Masters: 2016-17 Companion Guide. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2016. Mentioned and Reproduced: P. 82-83
    Bergh, Susan E. “Acquisitions 2015: Pre-Columbian and Native North American Art.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine vol. 56, no. 2 (March/April 2016): 32-33. Reproduced and Mentioned: p. 32. archive.org
    Griswold, William M. "Recent Acquisitions (2013-20) at the Cleveland Museum of Art," The Burlington Magazine 163, no. 1414 (January 2021): 93-104. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 101, no. 17; mentioned: P. 93
  • Recent Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 17-June 7, 2018).
  • {{cite web|title=Pectoral (Chest Ornament)|url=false|author=|year=1–800 CE|access-date=14 November 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2015.2