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, bat, snake). It appears to depict a bimorphic male twin. The body structure and posture refer to anthropomorphic characteristics. The design of the heads, on the other hand, indicates lizard- and bat-like characteristics. The wide mouths of the twin creatures correspond to the zoomorphic stone sculptures of the Palmar group (1550-1000d.C.). The bellies of the bimorph figures are slightly swollen. The deep metal moulding can be understood as a double-headed reptile due to its opposing applications. Despite its large surface area, the trapezoidal panel has no applied decoration. While the central figures appear in frontal perspective, the lateral motif was depicted in side profile. All the figures appear highly agitated. The incomplete reworking of the pendant seems to indicate that it was originally used as a burial gift. (Künne 2005)
