1976.W.318 Pectoral with two heads in relief (Calima, Colombia)

Among the societies of Central America, gold ornaments were important symbols of power and prestige that expressed authority and status in life and in death. The pre-Hispanic goldwork of Colombia is traditionally classified by archaeological zones, or regions, each with stylistic associations, varying in iconography and technology: Calima, Quimbaya, Tolima, and Nariño in the southwest; Zenú (Sinú) and Tairona in northwestern Colombia; and Muisca in the central highlands southeast of Bogotá. The Calima region encompasses the upper Calima River valley and surrounding areas of the Western Cordillera, extending east to the Cauca River. Calima goldwork, like other styles of southwestern Colombia, is characterized by the use of high-quality gold and a preference for working the metal directly by hammering. 

Research in the Calima region has established several periods of occupation. Calima goldsmiths achieved their foremost accomplishments during the period called Yotoco (100-700 CE). Their richly varied works were primarily objects of personal adornment. Headdress elements, pectorals, bracelets, anklets, and nose and ear ornaments probably functioned as ceremonial regalia for elite men. Typical Yotoco gold pieces include an elaborate headdress ornament (1976.W.319), an H‑shaped nose ornament (itself a face) (1976.W.324), dish‑shaped ear ornaments (1976.W.329.A-B) which could have been attached to a cloth headdress, and a large chest pectoral such as this example. Made to be suspended around the neck, the two holes at the top suggest this pectoral would have originally been worn hanging over the chest, possibly fastened to a neckband or garment. Decorated with simple raised dots and large circular bosses around the rim, this highly polished ornament features figural designs of smaller faces, including one that wears an elaborate nose ornament and dish-shaped ear ornaments, mirroring the human figure wearing this same regalia. The dangling elements of the headdress and nose ornament would have responded to the wearer’s movements, reflecting light and producing gentle metallic sounds. When worn together with the pectoral, as many pieces undoubtedly were, they would have created a dazzling golden image. 

Native Coastal Ecuadorian and Colombian styles: AAT: 300017980

Pre-Columbian Colombian styles: AAT: 300017422

Calima: AAT: 300017424

Pre-Columbian (American): AAT: 300016619

Colombia (nation): TGN: 1000050

Valle del Cauca (department): TGN: 7005078

Cauca (department): TGN: 1000554

Cordillera Central (mountain range): TGN: 108881

Río Cauca (river): TGN: 1122595

gold: AAT: 300011021

gold alloy: AAT: 300010963

goldwork: AAT: 300044045

repoussé: AAT: 300054023

chasing (metalworking): AAT: 300054016

embossing (technique): AAT: 300053826

sheet metal: AAT: 300223016

metalwork: AAT: 300015336

hammering (metal finishing): AAT: 300054098

Yotoco period (Calima / Pre-Columbian South American styles and periods): DMA

worn costume accessories: AAT: 300209274

jewelry: AAT: 300209286

pectorals (jewelry): AAT: 300211902

shiny (shine): AAT: 300065244

figures (representations): AAT: 300189808

human figures: AAT: 300404114

faces (animal or human components): AAT: 300251798

heads (representations): AAT: 300262520

headdress: AAT: 300046023

diadems (headbands, headgear): AAT: 300046021

nose ornaments (jewelry): AAT: 300211628

geometric motifs: AAT: 300009764

geometric shape: AAT: 300263819

geometric patterns: AAT: 300165213

dots (geometric motif): AAT: 300010145

circles (plane figures): AAT: 300055627

circular (shape): AAT: 300263827

lines (geometric concept): AAT: 300056279

bands (decorative): DMA

crescent (motif): AAT: 300165510

disks (object genres): AAT: 300251427

funerary objects: AAT: 300234126

ceremonial costume: AAT: 300210387

nobility (nobles / aristocracy): AAT: 300025942

power: AAT: 300374809

prestige: AAT: 300343604

social status: AAT: 300065206

symmetry: AAT: 300056249

light (energy): AAT: 300056024

sound (acoustics): AAT: 300056060

raised (form attribute): AAT: 300010354

relief (sculpture techniques): AAT: 300053622

bosses (components): AAT: 300047259

polishing (finishing): AAT: 300053867

Until 1976: Nora and John Wise, New York [1]

From 1976: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, The Nora and John Wise Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Jake L. Hamon, the Eugene McDermott Family, Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation, Incorporated, and Mr. and Mrs. John D. Murchison [1], [2]

[1] The main source for this provenance is letter from A.L. Woodman, Chief of Valuation Analysis Section of the Internal Revenue Service, to Harry S. Parker, Director of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts (dated July 23, 1979, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File, Confidential). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.

[2] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.

253363764: UMO. [Caption] Drawing of Calima headdress, nose ornament, and pectoral being worn by an individual. Source: "Headdress ornament with heads flanked by crested crocodiles (1976.W.319)," in Ancient American Art: Bridges to the Supernatural, DMA Teaching Packet (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art, 1993), 22-23.

Apply to objects where number equals 1976.W.318