Cleveland Museum of Art

Tunjos (Votive Offering Figurine)

Date

c. 900–1550

Medium

cast gold

Culture

Colombia, Muisca style

Department

Art of the Americas

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Unlike the other gold ornaments made in the isthmian region, tunjos were not worn; instead, they served as offerings that were deposited in sacred places such as lagoons and caves. They often depict humans who hold something. Perhaps because they were not meant for display, tunjos were not finished after lost-wax casting. Flaws remain uncorrected, surfaces are unpolished, and gold that backed into the channel used to pour the molten metal into the mold was left in place.

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