A Large and Important Gran Cocle Gold Pendant Panama, c. 1100 – 1500 AD Superb cast tumbaga pendant in form of a male holding a hollow cone-shaped object (possibly a drum) at his waist and he holds a long thin rod up to his mouth with his other hand. He is naked except for a five-strand bead necklace, and unusual human heads at knees. Serpent heads emerge from each side of his head and from the side of his knees. He is framed by a magnificent braided arch with twelve nearly identical curly-tailed animals climbing to face each other at top. A loop for suspension at back. In excellent condition. Provenance: Private collection, Atlanta, GA Enrique Vargas Alfaro, 1960s. Mr. Alfaro was the source of highest quality Pre-Columbian art sold to prestigious collections such as Andre Emmerich, Morton D. May, Frederick and Jan Mayer, and William C. and Carol W. Thibodeaux. Artworks listing him as provenance appear in the collections of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, The Denver Art Museum, and the Michael C. Carlos Museum. Enrique was the grandson of Anastasio Alfaro (1865-1951), archaeologist, geologist, ethnographer, explorer and writer -- an important personality in the cultural development of Costa Rica. He was a member of the board at the National Museum of Costa Rica and author of Antigüedades en Costa Rica (1892). An analysis of the gold alloy and manufacturing technique by Daniel G. Gall, Ph.D (Professor of Geology and Archeology, Mount Olive College, North Carolina) accompanies the lot. Height: 4 ¾ inches HID03101062020 © 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved