Watch a video preview of the exhibition Golden Kingdoms: Luxury & Legacy in the Ancient Americas. On view at The Met Fifth Avenue from February 28 through May 28, 2018.
Featuring Joanne Pillsbury, Andrall E. Pearson Curator of Ancient American Art, The Met.
This landmark exhibition of luxury arts of the Incas, the Aztecs, and their predecessors will trace the emergence and florescence of goldworking in the ancient Americas, from its earliest appearance in the Andes to its later developments farther north in Central America and Mexico. In the ancient Americas, metalworking developed in the context of ritual and regalia, rather than for tools, weapons, or currency.
Golden Kingdoms: Luxury and Legacy in the Ancient Americas will reveal the distinctive ways ancient Americans used not only metals, but also jade, shell, and feathers—materials often considered more valuable than gold. Bringing together newly discovered archaeological finds and masterpieces from major museums in Latin America, Europe, and the United States, this exhibition will cast new light on these ancient civilizations and their place within world history.
