Art Institute of Chicago
Pendant Depicting a Seated Figure
Colima or JaliscoLinkedCulture matchlcp-60ca83d81a36
- Date
- 200 BCE–200 CE
- Medium
- Spondylus shell
- Culture
- Western Mexico
- Department
- Arts of the Americas
- Institution
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Object ID
- 157118
From the Art Institute of Chicago record
Figures and jewelry made of spondylus (spiny oyster) shell developed as a specialization in what are today the Mexican states of Colima and Jalisco. Like greenstone, jade, and colorful feathers, this bright orange shell was a luxury item sought by maritime merchants from Ecuador and Central America, who found it in warm Pacific waters as far north as the West Mexican coast. As emblems of authority and status, exotic materials were displayed by rulers during ceremonial events. Spondylus-shell jewelry carved with symbolic designs found in West Mexican tombs indicates the high esteem in which this valued material was held.
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Provenance & credit
As published by the source institution. Coverage varies — not every institution's open-data feed includes ownership history.
- Credit line
- Maurice D. Galleher Endowment
Linked open data
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- Object type
- AAT300209261
Part of a LinkedCulture topic
Pre-Columbian Body AdornmentThese objects are personal ornaments and jewelry worn by ancient Mesoamerican and Andean cultures, including ear ornaments, nose ornaments, plaques, and costume decorations made from precious metals, stone, shell, and ce
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