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Bird-Celt Pendant

300–800 CE
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Created from sections of ritual axes (often called celts) imported from southern Mexico or Guatemala, these pendants retain the lower blade portion of the ax. The blade forms the bird’s tail in one example here.



Estos colgantes fueron creados con una sección de hacha ritual e importados del sur de México o de Guatemala. Estos colgantes mantienen en su composición la parte inferior del hacha. Las partes superiores representan figuras aviares o antropomórficas.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Bird-Celt Pendant
  • Date: 300–800 CE
  • Geography: Costa Rica
  • Culture: Guanacaste-Nicoya
  • Medium: Jadeite
  • Dimensions: H: 4 13/16 × W: 15/16 × D: 15/16 in. (12.2 × 2.4 × 2.4 cm)
  • Classification: Stone-Ornaments
  • Credit Line: Colección Museo Nacional de Costa Rica, San José (7745)
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing