Frog Pendant

Unknown

4th–8th century · Jadeite · Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

The color of Mesoamerican jade, often called greenstone, ranges from a near white to a deep blue green. Associations with water, plant life, and thus fertility caused jade to be prized above all other materials in Mesoamerica. This carved pendant of light green jade flecked with white reinforces the symbolism of water with its amphibian subject. The frog presents a realistically rendered anatomy, including poison glands on top of the head behind the eyes, combined with the abstract details of a zigzag motif down the spine and the goggled eyes. The pendant was strung through a drilled hole on the sides of the abdomen just behind the front legs.

Artist

Unknown

Date

4th–8th century

Medium

Jadeite

Culture

Atlantic Watershed

Department

Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

Credit line

The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979