Ceremonial Tweezers with Edges Cut in the Shape of an Animal

These gold tweezers feature a long flat tip at the end of two decorative arms. Two animals—possibly seahorses—adorn each side of the tweezers. While the species of the animals cannot be determined, their eyes and tails can be identified in the repousse and engravings on the gold. Each arm depicts two animals with curled tails, their backs to the tweezer arm in the center. This motif is repeated on the underside of the tweezers as well.

Before undertaking a ritual to invoke the sacred, a holy person or ruler had to purify themself, inside and out. He or she might purge himself with laxatives, take saunas and ritual baths, and in some cultures, would remove hair from their faces or bodies. In Colombia, the contemporary Kogi people (who trace their ancestry to ancient peoples such as the Calima) frequently tweeze off their eyebrows before rituals. This may symbolize rebirth, recalling the scanty brows of infants. This golden object was likely both a decorative ornament and a functional tweezer, although probably it was used only in ritual performances.

Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.

Tiffany & Co., New York, [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1910, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.