Coclé. <em>Pendant with Two Crocodile Gods</em>, 1050–1500 CE. Gold, resin, shell, 4 3/8 x 4 3/4 x 1 3/8 in. (11.1 x 12.1 x 3.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, By exchange, 64.33.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.64.33.1_overall.jpg)

Coclé. Pendant with Two Crocodile Gods, 1050–1500 CE. Gold, resin, shell, 4 3/8 x 4 3/4 x 1 3/8 in. (11.1 x 12.1 x 3.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, By exchange, 64.33.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.64.33.1_overall.jpg)

DOWNLOAD

Pendant with Two Crocodile Gods

Arts of the Americas

These composite crocodilian-bat figures represent “hunter-heroes.” They carry macanas, or sword-clubs made of shell, and atlatls, or spear throwers. Their tusk-shaped bodies are made of copal, a type of resin, which may have replaced the original bone tusks used in the ornament. This pendant was most likely worn during battle or ceremonial events to demonstrate the strength and power of the wearer.

Estas figuras compuestas cocodrilo-murciélago representan “cazadores-héroes.” Ellos llevan macanas, o garrotes-espada hechos de concha, y atlatls, o propulsores de lanzas. Sus cuerpos en forma de colmillo están hechos de copal, un tipo de resina, la cual puede haber reemplazado a los colmillos de hueso originales utilizados en el ornamento.

CULTURE Coclé

MEDIUM Gold, resin, shell

DATES 1050–1500 CE

DIMENSIONS 4 3/8 x 4 3/4 x 1 3/8 in. (11.1 x 12.1 x 3.5 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Arts of the Americas

ACCESSION NUMBER 64.33.1

CREDIT LINE By exchange

EXHIBITIONS

Life, Death, and Transformation in the Americas

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

CAPTION Coclé. Pendant with Two Crocodile Gods, 1050–1500 CE. Gold, resin, shell, 4 3/8 x 4 3/4 x 1 3/8 in. (11.1 x 12.1 x 3.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, By exchange, 64.33.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.64.33.1_overall.jpg)

IMAGE overall, CUR.64.33.1_overall.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2023

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

RECORD COMPLETENESS

Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.

Collection Menu

Pendant with Two Crocodile Gods

Arts of the Americas

TAGS

TAGS

Collection Menu

Pendant with Two Crocodile Gods

Arts of the Americas

TAGS

TAGS

RELATED OBJECTS