Llama Figurine (1400–1532): Art, History and Details

Llama Figurine (1400–1532) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Precious metal was a major Inka artistic medium, but most was melted down after the conquest to fund the Spanish court. The sole remains are small-scale objects from tombs and offerings. Figurines in gold, like this one, have been found at shrines on sacred mountain peaks, where they accompanied child sacrifices in offerings made during times of crisis, such as famine.

Object facts

• Title: Llama Figurine
• Date: 1400–1532
• Culture: Peru, Bolivia, Chile or Ecuador, Inka style (1400-1532)
• Type: Metalwork
• Technique: hammered gold
• Dimensions: Overall: 5.2 cm (2 1/16 in.)
• Collection: AA - Andes
• Department: Art of the Americas
• Accession number: 1955.374

Collection credit

Gift of W. J. Gordon

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.