A hammered 10K gold-copper alloy disc depicting a stylized jaguar face, heart-shaped, with round eyes and a mouth full of fierce, openwork teeth. Four piercings, two each through top and bottom, allowed this disk to be sewn onto a tunic or otherwise worn. Moche artisans created feline imagery over and over again, with the focus often being the animals’ faces and in particular their mouths full of sharp teeth. The Moche, like other Peruvian cultures, associated felines with military, religious, and political leaders; the animals’ method of attacking the head of its prey was also a symbol for decapitation in a culture that revered the taking of trophy heads. Size: 4′ W x 4″ H.
