Ring, Monte Alban replica

NameRing

Artist Artist Not Recorded

Dateearly 20th-mid 20th Century

Place madeOaxaca, Mexico, North America

MediumGold

Dimensions2 1/2 × 7/8 × 1 1/2 in. (6.4 × 2.3 × 3.8 cm)

Credit LineGift of Florence Dibell Bartlett

Object numberA.1955.1.139 MA

Collections

Latin America

DescriptionLarge gold ring with three dimensional eagle head and dangles. The base of the ring is a thick gold band decorated with filigree scrolling and dots in relief. A curved fan-like section extends up the finger from the front of the ring (following the shape of the finger). The extension is decorated with more scrolling and some linear filigree (this area looks similar to a flat organ or harp). The eagle head juts out from the center of this decoration. Its head feathers are articulated in more gold filigree. In the eagle's beak, it holds a hoop attached to a forked piece from which two hollow teardrop shaped dangles hang. A second identical forked piece with dangles is attached beneath it to a filigree bird's foot soldered to the band; the piece hangs of the bottom of the band. A whole in the left bird claw indicates it probably would have had a third forked piece attached. The teardrop shaped dangles are hollow and have small openings at their ends to give them the appearance of bells.