Exhibiting Historical Art: Out of the Vault: Stories of People and ThingsMain MenuWorld MapClick pins to learn more about the object that originated thereTimelinePre-Columbian Gold Headband800 A.D. - 1500 A.D.Gold Eagle PendantsSepik River Headrest20th centuryStatue of Saint Barbara17th century France, polychromed wood, artist unknownCabinet door from the Imperial Palace of Beijing with Imperial DragonChen Youzhang, 1755Bronze LampHead of John the BaptistLauren Linquest, '19Ida Rubenstein, 1909 Sculpture by Jo DavidsonCassone ChestWater-Carrier Vase with Bamboo Pattern and BambooLenore Vanderkooi, 1996Lotus Flowers in a Wood VaseRevolutions Per Minute: The Art RecordOpening page
Significance of Gold in Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica
12016-04-14T14:20:50-07:00Sarah Robinsondfb2f746938b5c0a5b771e15293b8c60ba96c31c85327The Social Context of Panamanian Metallurgyplain2016-04-27T20:03:03-07:00Sarah Robinsondfb2f746938b5c0a5b771e15293b8c60ba96c31cMetal Objects first appeared on the isthmus of Panama during the first five hundred years of the Common era. The evidence suggests that Columbia as the primary source of inspiration, and the Gulf of Uraba was the initial contact point. Metal objects quickly became primary symbols of authority; important people ornamented their bodies with gold. Gold was used to bribe allies and to pay ransoms for captured family members. It was hidden prom rivals and horded in large baskets at times of danger. Gold was also buried with important people after death: they wore masks of gold, and their bodies were often covered with gold figurines.