Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T17:53:57.788Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Goldwork of Pre-Columbian Costa Rica and Panama: A Technical Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2011

David A. Scott
David A. Scott*
Affiliation:
GCI Museum Laboratory, Ranch House, J. Paul Getty Museum, 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, California 90265
Get access

Abstract

Technical and analytical study of gold and tumbaga objects from Panama and Costa Rica, revealed the compositional range of gold-copper alloys used by the indigenous inhabitants. Using recent archaeological evidence for some of the chronology of goldworking in the area, the study examined metalwork from the Initial Period to the Veraguas-Gran Chiriqui style. From this study it is apparent that the variety of goldcopper alloys used for lost-wax casting did not undergo compositional change with time from the initial introduction of metallurgy to the area in the first century AD until the Spanish Conquest. Regional preferences may have existed in relation to the alloys chosen for particular images: for example Parita warrior figures were cast in gold rich alloys compared with frog pendants. Copper contents of the tumbaga alloys used extended from 5% to 50%, with gold contents usually above 45%, and with no addition of extraneous silver to the alloy. The silver content of many of the alloys studied from the area of Costa Rica was low in comparison with gold-copper alloys from the Colombian region.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 352: Symposium – Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology IV , 1995 , 499
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

[1] Warwick, Bray 1986 Ancient American Metallurgy: Five Hundred Years of Study In: (Ed.Jones, J.) The Art of Pre-Columbian Gold: The Jan Mitchell Collection 76-84 The Metropolitan Museum of Art: New York.Google Scholar
[2] , Scott 1983 Depletion gilding and surface treatment of gold alloys from the Narino area of ancient Colombia Journal of Historical Metallurgv Society, 17: 99–115 Google Scholar
[3] Lechtman, H.N. 1973 The Gilding of Metals in Pre-Columbian Peru. In: (Ed. Young, W.J.) Application of Science in the Examination of Works of Art 38-52. Museum of Fine Arts: Boston.Google Scholar
[4] Otis, F.M. The new gold discoveries on the Isthmus of Panama Harpers Weekly August 6th 1859 499–532 Google Scholar
[5] , Uhle, Max 1891 Costaricanische Schmuckgerate aus Gold und Kupfer. Globus: Brunschweig LX 163–165 Google Scholar
[6] , Hartman, Carl, V. 1901 Archaeological Researches in Costa Rica The Royal Ethnographical Museum: Stockholm.Google Scholar
[7] , Hartman, Carl, V. 1907 Archaeological Researches on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. Memoirs of the Carnegie Museum: Pittsburgh Vol. IIIGoogle Scholar
[8] , MacCurdy, Grant, George 1911 A Study of Chiriquian Antiquities Memoirs of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences Vol.111 New Haven, Connecticut.Google Scholar
[9] Lehmann, Walter 1925 Ein goldner Alderschmuck aus Costa-Rica Ipek. Jahrbuch fur prahistorische und ethnographische Kunst 1 165–197 Google Scholar
[10] , Lothrop, Kirkland, Samuel 1937-1942 Cocle: an archaeological study of Central Panama. 2 vols. Memoirs of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, 7 and 8. Harvard University Press: Cambridge.Google Scholar
[11] , Lothrop, Kirkland, Samuel 1950 Archaeology of Southern Veraguas, Panama Memoirs of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, 9 Harvard University Press: Cambridge.Google Scholar
[12] , Lothrop, Kirkland, Samuel 1956 Jewelry from the Panama Canal Zone Archaeology 9 34–40 Google Scholar
[13] , Lothrop, Kirkland, Samuel 1963 Archaeology of the Diquis Delta, Costa Rica. Memoirs of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, 51 Harvard University Press: Cambridge.Google Scholar
[14] , Snarskis, Michael, J. 1985 Symbolism of Gold in Costa Rica and its archaeological perspective In: (Ed. Jones, J.) The Art of Pre-Columbian Gold: The Jan Mitchell Collection 22-33 Metropolitan Museum of Art: New York Google Scholar
[15] , Cooke, , Richard and Bray, Warwick 1985 The Goldwork of Panama: an iconographic and chronological perspective In: The Art of Pre-Columbian Gold: The Jan Mitchell Collection (Ed. Jones, Julie) 35–45. The Metropolitan Museum of Art: New York Google Scholar
[16] , Bray, , Warwick 1992 Sitio Conte Metalwork in its Pan-American Context In: (Ed. Hearne, P. and Sharer, R.J.) River of Gold: PreColumbian Treasures from Sitio Conte. 32–47 The University Museum: Philadelphia.Google Scholar
[17] Scott, D.A. 1983 The Deterioration of Gold Alloys and some Aspects of their Preservation Studies in Conservation, 28, 194–203.Google Scholar
[18] Rivet, P and Arsandaux, H. 1946 La Metallurgie en Amerique Precolombienne Travaux et Memoires de I'Institut d'Ethnologie XXXIX Musee de l'Homme: Paris Google Scholar
[19] Rovera, S.L. 1990 La Metalurgia Americana: Analisis tenologico de materiales prehispanicos y coloniales. Universidad Complutense de Madrid: Madrid (unpublished Ph.D. Thesis)Google Scholar
[20] , Sahagun, de, Bernardino 1596 Book 9 of the General History of the Things of New Spain: Florentine Codex (Trans. A.J.O. Anderson and C.E. Dibble) Monographs of the School of American Research (1959) Number 14 Part 10. Santa Fe.Google Scholar
[21] , Bray, , Warwick 1981 Goldwork of Costa Rica In: (Ed. Benson, E.P.) Between Continents/Between Seas: The Archaeology of Costa Rica 153-158 H.N. Abrams: New York.Google Scholar
[22] Forty, A.J. 1979 The dissolution of gold alloys Nature 282 597 Google Scholar
[23] , Reichel-Dolmatoff, , Gerardo 1988 Goldwork and Shamanism Editorial Colina: BogotaGoogle Scholar
[24] , Stone, , Doris and , Balser, Carlos 1967 Aboriginal Metalwork in Lower Central America Peabody Museum, Harvard University. Harvard University Press: Cambridge Google Scholar
[25] Emmerich, A. 1965 Sweat of the sun and tears of the moon H. N. Abrams: New York Google Scholar
[26] Lange, F.W. and Accola, R.M. 1979 Metallurgy in Costa Rica Archaeology 32 26–33 Google Scholar
[27] Benson, E.P. 1992 Motifs, meanings and myths: the iconography of Sitio Conte gold plaques In: Sitio Conte Goldwork: alloying and the treatment of surfaces. In: River of Gold (Ed. Hearne, P. and Sharer, R.J.) 22-31 The University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology: Pennsylvania Google Scholar
[28] Fleming, S. 1992 Sitio Conte Goldwork: alloying and the treatment of surfaces. In: River of Gold (Ed. Hearne, P. and Sharer, R.J.) 54–58. The University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology: Pennsylvania Google Scholar