Pendant Mask, 13th15th century
Dominican Republic; Taino
Bone; H. 3 5/8 in. (9.2 cm)
Purchase, Oscar de la Renta Gift, 1997 (1997.35.1)
Dominican Republic; Taino
Bone; H. 3 5/8 in. (9.2 cm)
Purchase, Oscar de la Renta Gift, 1997 (1997.35.1)
Large, prominent eye sockets and evenly matched teeth exhibit the skeletonization of human and animal forms characteristic of Taino art. At the sides of the pendant, amphibian-like arms and legs carved in low relief suggest the crouching posture common in Taino art. Small openings framed by incised circles that may depict glands are positioned near the top of the pendant at the sides and undoubtedly functioned as suspension holes. Natural fissures in the bone surface reinforce the bilateral symmetry of the composition. Although elements of the composition are apparently derived from the natural world, their combination and presentation in this pendant strongly suggest a supernatural creature.

















