Pin with a figurative top

Pin whose head represents a character with fantastic attributes. These pins were used to be inserted into a container or lime pot known as "poporo", in order to extract from its interior the lime consumed in combination with coca leaves. They have different finishes and have been stylistically compared to Calima pins, which suggests the existence of an exchange of regional styles when providing prestigious goods to offerings and funerary trousseau. The piece has been ritually "killed", that is, broken to prevent its use in earthly life.

This piece is part of what is known as Quimbaya Treasure—a funerary assemblage of gold and *tumbaga* objects discovered in two pre-Columbian tombs. Beyond the sheer size of the collection, its value lies in an exceptional level of technical and artistic mastery that places these works among the pinnacles of pre-Hispanic art.