Photographer: Andrea Blumtritt | Rights management: Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Attribution - NonCommercial - ShareAlike 4.0 International
The largely symmetrical object combines the attributes of different species (human, lizard, snake). The central figure appears to represent a masked, anthropomorphic twin creature. Its broad mouths correspond to the zoomorphic stone sculptures of the Palmar group (1550-1000d.C.). The figures wield two rattles with a long, curved handle. A similar clay object was documented by Quilter (2004: 169, Fig. 7.9) in Rivas. The high and low metal strips can be understood as a double-headed reptile (snake?) due to their opposing applications. Despite their size, the trapezoidal panels have no applied decoration. While the central figures appear in frontal perspective, the lateral motifs were depicted in side profile. (Künne 2005)
