To Capture the Sun: Gold of Ancient Panama

Written to accompany an upcoming exhibition, To Capture the Sun: Gold of Ancient Panama explores the Gilcrease Museum’s collection of Pre-Columbian gold for the first time since its acquisition in the 1940s. The collection, from the Gran Coclé culture of Panama, consists of more than 250 gold objects from early Panama, including effigy pendants, pectorals, cuffs, bands, ear rods, and bells, as well as a ceramics collection.More than a beautifully illustrated exhibit catalogue, this volume includes essays by leading scholars who use the Gilcrease collection to discuss the rise of metallurgy in the Western Hemisphere, the symbolic significance of gold in Gran Coclé culture, and the influence of Pre-Columbian gold on world economies. The contributors also provide a survey of archaeological excavations in the region, including a discussion of Gilcrease’s important collection of Coclé ceramics.