Cleveland Museum of Art

Curly-Tailed Animal Pendant

Date

100–800 CE

Medium

gold

Culture

Panama, Initial style

Department

Art of the Americas

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

A favored Initial-style subject is a charming animal whose curly tail -- its most impressive feature -- may derive from a monkey’s. Its other traits vary considerably, causing it to be identified as everything from a dog to a duck. Initial-style gold ornaments represent Panama’s oldest metalwork. Since metal technologies appeared suddenly and fully developed in Panama, it is likely that they were introduced from the outside, probably from Colombia to the south.

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