Pectoral in the shape of an eagle. Veraguas, Panama, ca 1200 A.D., Tumbaga gold, ca 18 kt Stylized bird-like figure with long curved beak, spherical eyes above spiral ornaments, profiled neck and spherical body. Flat, spread wings with indicated feathers, sculpted feet and large, broad tail. Eyelet on the back. Signs of ageing. H. 8 cm, w. 11,5 cm, weight 60 g. Bird pendants were made for centuries in many styles and sizes in the area that stretched from Costa Rica to the north and Central Colombia to the south. Today, they are the best known goldwork from the ancient Americas. They were first called aguilas (eagles) by Christopher Columbus, who noted that they were worn by the natives, hung around their necks as he sailed along the Caribbean coast of Central America in the early 16th century. From the wide variety of birds in the region and the different shapes of the beaks, wings and talons depicted on the pendants, it is clear that different species are represented. Suggestions range from hummingbirds to birds of prey. According to the previous consignor, this is an object from a large collection from which random samples of 15 objects were analyzed and dated around 1200 AD. The analysis was carried out by Prof. Dr. Ernst-Ludwig Richter, Staatliche Akademie der bildenden Künste, Stuttgart, 04.02.1991. Provenance: Baden private collection. Auction Kaupp, 8.12.2012, lot 4428, private collection Germany. Literature: Carlos H. Aguilar Piedra, Los Usékares de Oro, San José 1996, fig. 3 ff. (cf.).