id:			172556
accession number:	2015.5
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/2015.5
updated:		2023-08-24 01:12:18.881000

Finial with Two Deer, 400–1000. Isthmian Region (Colombia), Sinú (Zenú), 5th century-11th century. Gold, cast; overall: 6.8 x 4.3 x 7.4 cm (2 11/16 x 1 11/16 x 2 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2015.5

title:				Finial with Two Deer
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			400–1000
creation date earliest:		400
creation date latest:		1000
current location:		233 Mesoamerican and Intermediate Region
creditline:			Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
copyright:			

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culture:	Isthmian Region (Colombia), Sinú (Zenú), 5th century-11th century
technique:	gold, cast
department:	Art of the Americas
collection:	AA - Intermediate Region
type:		Metalwork
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

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measurements: Overall: 6.8 x 4.3 x 7.4 cm (2 11/16 x 1 11/16 x 2 15/16 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

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PROVENANCE

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fun fact:
This exquisite finial was made using the lost-wax casting process.

digital description:


wall description:
Unique to Colombia's Sinú region are gold finials with sculptural images at right angles to thimble-like caps; the caps fit over the end of a staff, an emblem of rank that may have been held horizontally. This impressive finial features two deer (or a single creature with two deer heads) that hold human-like hands over their chests. Sinú animal imagery is understudied but may relate to beliefs about the cosmos. For instance, contemporary natives attribute importance to birds because they have the capacity to move among different environments (air, land, water); they may have been regarded as mediators among levels of the cosmos.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

	Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Museum Masters: 2016-17 Companion Guide.</em> [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2016.
	page number: 	Mentioned and Reproduced: P. 82-83
	url:		

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2015.5/2015.5_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2015.5/2015.5_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2015.5/2015.5_full.tif