1976.W.237 Pendant depicting a figure with bat like mask (Diquís, Costa Rica, Palma Sur)

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. Made to be suspended around the neck, gold pendants were still worn by local inhabitants of the Caribbean coast when Europeans encountered them at the turn of the 16th century. The Diquís archaeological zone on Costa Rica's southern Pacific coast became a major gold-working area after the technology diffused northward from the Northern Andes, probably about 300 to 500 CE. Goldsmiths of this region favored depiction of birds and animals of a dangerous or predatory nature, and craftsmen cleverly adapted the natural forms of totemic creatures to the functional demands of jewelry. Diquís art styles, both gold and ceramic, have much in common with those of the adjacent Chiriquí region of northwestern Panama—archaeologists often treat them together as the Greater Chiriquí subarea.

This pendant represents a characteristic Diquís type that features a central male figure standing between two flat, essentially horizontal, bars that frame the composition. The columnar torso, the narrow bands or cords that encircle the waist and knees, and the projecting flat feet are elements common to most examples, while the type of mask worn by the figure, the object held in the mouth of the mask, and whether the figure has arms or winglike forms vary. On this pendant, the curled nose and prominent ears suggest a bat mask, which holds a tiny trophy head, a reference to the importance of human sacrifice. Crescent wings extend from the torso. The configuration of concentric spirals and diagonal lines flanking the head and feet (above and below the wings) is thought to represent a crocodile head. The central figure may depict a shaman or a warrior-chief, both intermediaries between earthly and cosmic realms. Pendants of this type probably functioned as emblems of rank or status or as amulets.

Diquís: AAT: 300017245

Costa Rican styles: AAT: 300386018

Pre-Columbian (American): AAT: 300016619

Costa Rica (nation): TGN: 7005364

Puntarenas (province): TGN: 1001491

Palmar Sur: TGN: 1016254

gold: AAT: 300011021

goldwork: AAT: 300044045

annealing: AAT: 

300053886

casting: AAT: 300053104

chasing (metalworking): AAT: 300054016      

embossing (technique): AAT: 300053826  

repoussé: AAT: 300054023

solder: AAT: 300010993

sheet metal: AAT: 300223016 

metalwork: AAT: 300015336      

hammering (metal finishing): AAT: 300054098

worn costume accessories: AAT: 300209274

pendants (jewelry): AAT: 300046002

jewelry: AAT: 300209286

shiny (shine): AAT: 300065244

scrolls (spirals, motifs): AAT: 300010094 

spirals (geometric figures): AAT: 300163114

bands (decorative): DMA

figures: AAT: 300189808

standing: AAT: 300239500

male: AAT: 300189559

nude: AAT: 300189568

masks (costume): AAT: 300138758 

bat (animal): AAT: 300310316

trophy head: DMA

sacrifices: AAT: 300263243

crescent (motif): AAT: 300165510

wings (animal components): AAT: 300375053

crocodile (crocodylidae family): AAT: 300250293

head: AAT: 300262520

power: AAT: 300374809

prestige: AAT: 300343604

social status: AAT: 300065206

deaths: AAT: 300151836

life (biological concepts): AAT: 300055134

symmetry: AAT: 300056249

myth: AAT: 300201023

mythical or legendary beings: AAT: 300375725

supernatural (concepts): AAT: 300055947

predators: AAT: 300249916

shaman: AAT: 300218522

underworld: DMA

amulets: AAT: 300266585

funerary objects: AAT: 300234126

ceremonial costume: AAT: 300210387

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 existing information in TMS. 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.

Apply to objects where number equals 1976.W.237