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Ornament in the Form of a Caiman

Culture Tairona
Title Ornament in the Form of a Caiman
Date 1000–1530
Medium Triton shell
Dimensions Object: 1 1/2 × 1 7/8 × 2 1/2 in. (3.8 × 4.8 × 6.4 cm)
Overall (includes mount): 2 1/8 × 2 × 2 5/8 in. (5.4 × 5.1 × 6.7 cm)
Credit Line Raymond and Laura Wielgus Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University
Accession Number 78.11.3

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About this Work

This ornament is one of seven similar pieces excavated in 1922–23 and depicting the stylized head of a caiman or crocodile with drilled and incised details. Holes in the objects suggest that they may have been suspended as pendants or served as finials on staffs or sticks.


Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Ornament in the Form of a Caiman | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2024. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=78.11.3