Shamans, Gods and Mythic Beasts: Colombian Gold and Ceramics in Antiquity - Softcover

A catalog of a traveling art exhibition, presenting new interpretive perspectives on the prehispanic art of Colombia and introducing important new archaeological cultures recently uncovered in southwest and northern Colombia. Offers an in-depth look at richly symbolic ceramics and goldworks, and exa

The art of ancient Colombia is both individual in its many varied aspects, and a part of the larger South American world of its time, factors leading to the diversity of type and complexity of image present in the works of art seen here. This volume offers new interpretive perspectives on the prehispanic art of Colombia and brings to light new archaeological cultures recently uncovered in southwest and northern Colombia. Chosen from public and private collections in Colombia and the United States, the selections were made on the basis of aesthetic quality, relative rarity, or ethnographic significance.

The earliest works date to the first millennium B.C., or even earlier. The latest works are 16th-century pieces, made at a time when indigenous life was changed forever with the arrival of the Spaniards in Colombia. The pieces are characteristic of the time and region of their manufacture and are executed in a variety of media -- clay, metal, stone, wood, shell, and textiles.