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, bat, reptile). It appears to depict a bimorphic male twin. The body structure and posture point to anthropomorphic characteristics. The design of the heads, on the other hand, indicates bat-like characteristics. The wide mouths of the two central figures correspond to the zoomorphic stone sculptures of the Palmar group (1550-1000d.C.). The high and low metal mouldings can be interpreted as a double-headed reptile (snake?) due to their opposing applications. Despite their large surface area, the trapezoidal panels have no applied decoration. While the central figures appear in frontal perspective, the lateral motifs are depicted in side profile. The suspended sound discs would completely obscure the figures depicted. In this case, they would only be visible if the objects were hung horizontally. The incomplete reworking of the pendant seems to indicate its original use as a burial gift. (Künne 2005)
