Double Bird Celt Pendant300–700 CE

On view:

Geffen Galleries

No image

Title: Double Bird Celt Pendant
Culture: Greater Nicoya or Caribbean Watershed
Place Made: Costa Rica
Date Made: 300–700 CE
Medium: Greenstone
Dimensions: 8 3/4 × 1 1/4 × 1 1/8 in. (22.23 × 3.18 × 2.86 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Daniel Greenberg and Susan Steinhauser
Accession Number: M.2016.334.30
Classification: Stone
Collecting Area: Art of the Ancient Americas
Curatorial Notes: Carved from what was probably a quarter section of a split celt, this pendant is in the form of a main avian figure with another bird on top of the head, which is in turn topped by a tall, rounded ornament. The large, triangular beak of the main figure is clearly rendered. However, the artist also carved humanlike hands on the abdomen, and the front-facing eyes may also hint at a being that is part human and part bird, or in a state of transformation between the two.

These kinds of pointed avian celtiform pendants are relatively common and have been found on opposite sides of Costa Rica, from the Caribbean lowlands to the Pacific coast. However, this example is particularly elaborate. The smaller birds stacked on top usually share elements with the main figure, whose head simultaneously functions as their body (as can be seen on M.2016.334.29), rather than an entirely separate bird being carved on top, as is the case here.

Julia Burtenshaw

2024

On view:

Geffen Galleries

No image

Title: Double Bird Celt Pendant
Culture: Greater Nicoya or Caribbean Watershed
Place Made: Costa Rica
Date Made: 300–700 CE
Medium: Greenstone
Dimensions: 8 3/4 × 1 1/4 × 1 1/8 in. (22.23 × 3.18 × 2.86 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Daniel Greenberg and Susan Steinhauser
Accession Number: M.2016.334.30
Classification: Stone
Collecting Area: Art of the Ancient Americas
Curatorial Notes: Carved from what was probably a quarter section of a split celt, this pendant is in the form of a main avian figure with another bird on top of the head, which is in turn topped by a tall, rounded ornament. The large, triangular beak of the main figure is clearly rendered. However, the artist also carved humanlike hands on the abdomen, and the front-facing eyes may also hint at a being that is part human and part bird, or in a state of transformation between the two.

These kinds of pointed avian celtiform pendants are relatively common and have been found on opposite sides of Costa Rica, from the Caribbean lowlands to the Pacific coast. However, this example is particularly elaborate. The smaller birds stacked on top usually share elements with the main figure, whose head simultaneously functions as their body (as can be seen on M.2016.334.29), rather than an entirely separate bird being carved on top, as is the case here.

Julia Burtenshaw

2024