Cleveland Museum of Art

Plaque with Figures

Date

900–1470

Medium

hammered gold alloy

Culture

Peru, North Coast, Chimú style (900-1470)

Department

Art of the Americas

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Frontal figures flanked by profile attendants have a long history in the Andes. This is the quintessential group of authority and power, here a Chimú lord and two creatures perhaps from mythology. Ancient Andean cultures did not use writing, so it is difficult to know more about the scene's meaning. Additional elements, probably also of gold, originally were tabbed through the slots on the surface.

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