Disk

600–1600 CE
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
This disk was cast and then hammered to achieve its shape. Metalworkers produced the distinct circular motifs by gilding parts of the surface, likely through heating and selective pickling (a chemical process) to remove copper. A small perforation at the center would have allowed the disk to be threaded on a cord so that it could be spun. The rotation of such disks could have had a hypnotic effect on viewers.



Para obtener esta forma, el disco (fabricado con una aleación de oro y cobre), fue primero fundido y luego martillado. Los artesanos lograron los claros motivos circulares dorando partes de la superficie, probablemente con la técnica del recocido (proceso de tratamiento térmico) y del decapado (un tratamiento químico) para remover el cobre. Una pequeña perforación en el centro permitía que el disco fuera enhebrado para poder ser girado. La rotación de estos discos puede haber tenido un efecto hipnótico para los que lo miraban.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Disk
  • Date: 600–1600 CE
  • Geography: Colombia, Nariño Highlands
  • Culture: Nariño
  • Medium: Gold alloy
  • Dimensions: Diam. 5 7/8 in. (14.9 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork-Ornaments
  • Credit Line: Museo del Oro, Banco de la República, Bogotá (O21220)
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing