Panama, Azuero Peninsula, Parita style, 11th-16th century / 1000–1550
Bat-Nosed Figures Pendant
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Bat-Nosed Figures Pendant as metalwork (Panama, Azuero Peninsula, Parita style, 11th-16th century · 1000–1550).
Both pendants depict paired figures with tusklike noses. The "tusks" perhaps refer to the upswept nose of the leaf-nosed bat, an agile hunter whose "leaf" helps it to snatch prey from midair.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this metalwork as cast gold.
The museum's collection notes: Both pendants depict paired figures with tusklike noses. The "tusks" perhaps refer to the upswept nose of the leaf-nosed bat, an agile hunter whose "leaf" helps it to snatch prey from midair. The bat's success as a hunter is part of the reason that some identify such paired figures as warriors. They each hold a paddle-shaped object; the larger pair, in elaborate costumes, also clutches staffs.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtBat-Nosed Figures PendantOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.