Pre-Columbian gold earrings from Colombia
€6,000
available
Object number
AR3403F
| Object: |
Pre-Columbian gold earrings from Colombia
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| Material: |
Gold.
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| Period: |
0 to 1000 AD. Era before Spanish influence. Since earrings of this type were popular over a long period of time, the chronological attribution is not very precise. Some of these earrings are dated a little earlier, to the year 200 BC, when the gold craft of the Zenú first manifested itself. Some are dated later, until the year 1600, when the craft was last practiced. We follow the dating of the MET (see references below). |
| Description: |
Matching pair of gold earrings from the Colombian Zenú culture. They come from the era before the Spanish takeover. Each earring is shaped like a flat crescent moon. The area is decorated in an openwork, geometric pattern arranged in two rows. Below another row of slender gold cylinders. An highly stylized animal crouches at each end, depicting a water bird. In the middle of the flat side is a circular hoop with which the earring could be hung. It is an impressive gold work, made by casting. The pair was worn as earrings by the Zenú people who lived on the fertile Caribbean coast of Colombia. Around the year 1600, the influence of the Spanish culminated and the old crafts disappeared. |
| Dimensions: |
Each 45mm wide and 28mm high including the hoop. Both pieces together weigh around 13g. |
| Condition: |
Minor flaws and deformations, but these do not spoil the almost perfect overall impression.
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| Provenance: |
Acquired by us on the German art market in 2022. Previously in the German private collection U. C. Acquired at June 1984 at Harmer Rooke Galleries, New York, USA. A collector's note about the acquisition is available as a copy.
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| References: |
Cf. Dumbarton Oaks Research Collection, acc. no. PC.B.399. Cf. Metropolitan Museum of Art, acc. no. 1974.271.58. Cf. numerous earrings of this type in the Museo del Oro Zenú, Cartagena. For another such pair of earrings on the art market, see David Bernstein, No. P1022, offered in 2024 for 23,500 USD (equivalent to 22,000 EUR). |
| Authenticity: |
We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every artefact, all items are subject to our lifetime return policy on authenticity.
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