DescriptionThe bird-form pendants of Central America are perhaps the best known type of Precolumbian gold object. Made to be worn suspended around the neck, they were fabricated in many sizes, from those that are less than an inch in height to others of more than five inches. While the pendants differ in specific details, the basic configuration is usually the same. They have extended wings over open, splayed tails and heads and beaks that project strongly forward. Single birds are the most common, although double images, like this one, also occur. These pendants are considered to be stylized representations of birds of prey often holding small objects in their prominent beaks. The pendants may have functioned as protective emblems.

Provenance[John C. Wise Ltd., before 1957]; Nelson A. Rockefeller, New York, 1957, on loan to The Museum of Primitive Art, New York, 1957-79.