Cleveland Museum of Art

Staff Head(?)

Date

c. 400–700

Medium

cast gold

Culture

Colombia or Panama, International style, 5th-8th Century

Department

Art of the Americas

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The two-headed beast that crouches on the top of this object-perhaps a staff finial (head)-holds a human head or perhaps a mask between its paws. The silken surface and simple, elegant design identify the finial as of the International style, so-called because it crossed ancient boundaries and is found in Colombia as well as Costa Rica and Panama.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.