Filagree Pendant in the Form of a Frog or Toad

Description

Throughout the ancient Americas, the animal world was closely linked to social hierarchies and obligations. In this worldview, frogs were seen as callers of water in connection with the onset of the rainy season, suggesting a ruler’s ultimate responsibility to the community to virtually ensure the continuity of the agricultural cycle.

Provenance

Lee E. Montgomery, St. Charles, Ill., by 1951 [documentation in curatorial files]; sold to the Art Institute, 1969.

Filagree Pendant in the Form of a Frog or Toad

Coclé

500–1000

Accession Number

32545

Medium

Cast gold

Dimensions

H.: 18.3 cm (7 3/16 in.)

Classification

jewelry

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Wirt D. Walker Fund