id:			125267
accession number:	1947.23
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1947.23
updated:		2023-03-08 14:59:03.254000

Tunjos (Votive Offering Figurine), c. 900–1550. Colombia, Muisca style, 10th-16th century. Cast gold; overall: 9.5 x 2.2 x 0.8 cm (3 3/4 x 7/8 x 5/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, In memory of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Humphreys, gift of their daughter Helen 1947.23

title:				Tunjos (Votive Offering Figurine)
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			c. 900–1550
creation date earliest:		900
creation date latest:		1550
current location:		233 Mesoamerican and Intermediate Region
creditline:			In memory of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Humphreys, gift of their daughter Helen
copyright:			

---

culture:	Colombia, Muisca style, 10th-16th century
technique:	cast gold
department:	Art of the Americas
collection:	AA - Intermediate Region
type:		Metalwork
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

---

CREATORS

---

measurements: Overall: 9.5 x 2.2 x 0.8 cm (3 3/4 x 7/8 x 5/16 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

---

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

---

LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

* New York,  NY: Museum of Modern Art; January 26-March 26, 1954.  "Ancient Arts of the Andes," exh. cat. repr. in black and white, p. 151, fig. 178.<br><br>Winnipeg, Canada: Winnipeg Art Gallery Association, Civic Auditorium; April 21-May 19, 1957.  "Art of the Americas Before Columbus", exh. cat. no. 21, p. 10, not repr.

---

PROVENANCE

---

fun fact:


digital description:


wall description:
Unlike the other gold ornaments made in the isthmian region, tunjos were not worn; instead, they served as offerings that were deposited in sacred places such as lagoons and caves. They often depict humans who hold something. Perhaps because they were not meant for display, tunjos were not finished after lost-wax casting. Flaws remain uncorrected, surfaces are unpolished, and gold that backed into the channel used to pour the molten metal into the mold was left in place.
---

RELATED WORKS

---

CITATIONS

	The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook.</em> Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958.
	page number: 	Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 383
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1958/page/n71

---

IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1947.23/1947.23_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1947.23/1947.23_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1947.23/1947.23_full.tif