Diquis Gold Necklace with Bird Pendant and Smaller Pendant Pre Columbian, Heavy!
Diquis Gold Necklace with Bird Pendant and Smaller Pendant Pre Columbian, Heavy!
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$18,500.00 USD
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$18,500.00 USD
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Special Pre-Columbian Jewelry!
Costa Rica, c. 700 - 1400 AD
Both items of gold alloy (tumbaga). The first a spectacular necklace of tubular beads and a finely crafted harpy eagle pendant. A saurian head emanates from each side of the eagle's head. The second is a charming small pendant of three frogs with four spatulate legs, each with a grooved loop coming from its mouth, two loops on the back for suspension. Both in excellent condition.
Provenance:
A Private Collection, Los Angeles, CA, acquired in the 1970s
Personal property of Mrs. Enrique Vargas Alfaro, 1960s
Enrique Vargas Alfaro, 1960s. Mr. Alfaro was the source of the highest quality Pre-Columbian art sold to prestigious collections such as Andre Emmerich, Morton D. May, Frederick and Jan Mayer, and William C. and Carol W. Thibadeau. Artworks listing him as provenance appear in the collections of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, The Denver Art Museum, and the Michael C. Carlos Museum. Ex Heritage Auctions, it comes with auction tag from Heritage.
Enrique was the grandson of Anastasio Alfaro (1865-1951), archaeologist, geologist, ethnographer, explorer and writer -- an important personality in the cultural development of Costa Rica. He was a member of the board at the National Museum of Costa Rica and author of Antigüedades en Costa Rica (1892).
Length of necklace: 14 inches
Weight: 122 grams
