id: 151345
accession number: 1983.190
share license status: CC0
url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1983.190
updated: 2022-02-24 10:00:44.508000
Pectoral Ornament, c. 1200-1519. Mexico, Guerrero, Ichcatiopan, Mixtec or Aztec style. Gold, jadeite; overall: 8 x 7.2 cm (3 1/8 x 2 13/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of James C. Gruener in memory of his wife, Florence Crowell Gruener 1983.190
title: Pectoral Ornament
title in original language:
series:
series in original language:
creation date: c. 1200-1519
creation date earliest: 1200
creation date latest: 1519
current location:
creditline: Gift of James C. Gruener in memory of his wife, Florence Crowell Gruener
copyright:
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culture: Mexico, Guerrero, Ichcatiopan, Mixtec or Aztec style
technique: gold, jadeite
department: Art of the Americas
collection: AA - Mesoamerica
type: Jewelry
find spot:
catalogue raisonne:
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CREATORS
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measurements: Overall: 8 x 7.2 cm (3 1/8 x 2 13/16 in.)
state of the work:
edition of the work:
support materials:
inscriptions:
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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
title: The Year in Review for 1983
opening date: 1984-02-22T05:00:00
The Year in Review for 1983. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 22-April 8, 1984).
title: The Gruener Collection of Pre-Columbian Art
opening date: 1992-02-04T05:00:00
The Gruener Collection of Pre-Columbian Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 4-November 29, 1992).
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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS
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PROVENANCE
(André Emmerich, Inc., New York, NY, 1966, sold to James C. and Florence C. Gruener)
date: ?-1966
footnotes:
citations:
James C. Gruener [1903-1990], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
date: 1966-1983
footnotes:
citations:
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
date: 1983-
footnotes:
citations:
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fun fact:
Known for their exquisite craftsmanship, this piece is a rare example of Mixtec gold work, much of which was destroyed during the Spanish conquest.
digital description:
This unusual pendant comprises a polished jade plaque carved in the shape of the cross section of a conch shell and a delicate gold frame with tiny dangling bells. The cut conch was a jewel worn by Quetzalcoatl (Feathered Serpent), an Aztec culture hero and supernatural creature closely associated with the wind that brings rain clouds and new life. The pendant may have been found with a set of obsidian ear ornaments (1990.191).
wall description:
This extraordinary pendant consists of a conch shell section carved in jade, enclosed in a delicate gold frame with tiny dangling bells. This symbol was worn by the deity Quetzalcoatl (Feathered Serpent), a culture hero credited in one myth with creating human life by sprinkling his blood on ground bones. The pectoral may have been worn by a priest, or by a ceremonial impersonator of Quetzalcoatl.
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RELATED WORKS
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CITATIONS
Turner, Evan H. "Year in Review for 1983." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 71, no. 2 (1984): 38-79.
page number: Mentioned: P. 76, no. 222
url: https://www.jstor.org/stable/25159848
Young-Sánchez, Margaret. "The Gruener Collection of Pre-Columbian Art." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 79, no. 7 (1992): 234-75.
page number: Mentioned and reproduced: No. 109, p. 262
url: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25161367
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IMAGES
web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1983.190/1983.190_web.jpg
print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1983.190/1983.190_print.jpg
full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1983.190/1983.190_full.tif