The spirits, the gold and the shaman

Works of art of the Colombia Gold Museum

In partnership with the Colombia Gold Museum

Following on from Mexico, Washington and London (British Museum), the exhibition Les Esprits, l’Or et le Chaman – Chefs-d’œuvre du Musée de l’Or de Colombie is presented in Nantes as part of France-Colombia 2017.

The exhibition is a universal reflection on the themes of transformation and identity. More than 220 fascinating gold objects from the collections of the prestigious Bogota Museum are on display to the French public.

The pre-Hispanic societies of Colombia were marked by the formidable development of metallurgy and goldsmithery. The country, known today as Colombia, was an important hotbed of experiments and inventions in metal working.

The chiefs and shamans of pre-Colombian societies were able to transform themselves by using gold objects, which they also wore to strengthen their prestige and authority.

After coming into contact with these societies the returning conquistadors gave rise to the myth of Eldorado, a lost city and men covered in gold.