Gold bird pendant

Gold bird pendant, Mixtec-Aztec, 1350-1521 CE, height 4 cms., Ministerie van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap, Collectie Paul en Dora Janssen-Arts, MAS, Antwerp.

Pendants in the Mixtec style were usually made using the lost-wax technique. This example shows a bird’s head, probably that of an eagle, with a decorative element. The sun’s rays are arranged around the eagle’s head.

From Aztecs, eds. Doris Kurella, Martin Berger and Inés de Castro, with INAH, Mexico - catalogue for the exhibition Azteken, Linden Museum, Stuttgart, Hirmer Publishers, Germany, 2019, p. 312.

Photo by Ian Mursell/Mexicolore.