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Burial Mask
1100-1470Precolumbian
9 5/16 x 17 3/8 x 9/16 in. (23.7 x 44.1 x 1.5 cm)
Chimú artist
Peru
Chimú; made in Chicama Valley, Peru
Object Type:
Metalwork
Medium and Support:
Gold, silver and copper alloy
Credit Line:
R. T. Miller Fund
Accession Number:
1947.9
Location: Currently on view
This Burial Mask was created by a Chimu artist in the Chicama Valley on the North Coast of Peru between 1100 and 1470. Ruling from their capital city of Chan Chan, the Chimú state controlled a vast empire in the north and central coasts of Peru. They employed tens of thousands of artists, including skilled metalworkers that produced objects of precious metal for the nobility.
Masks such as this would never have been worn by the living. They played an essential role in death and burial and were placed on the funerary bundle. These decorative masks helped indicate the rank of the deceased.
The ornate, circular ear ornaments may have held actual feathers. The upper portion of the mask is decorated with puma heads and bent, stylized figures of warriors wearing elaborate feathered headdresses. Separate ornaments may have been attached to the mask near the eyes, around the nose and along the side of the face. The nose, which was raised in relief, has been lost.
[Gallery label text, 2009]
Masks such as this would never have been worn by the living. They played an essential role in death and burial and were placed on the funerary bundle. These decorative masks helped indicate the rank of the deceased.
The ornate, circular ear ornaments may have held actual feathers. The upper portion of the mask is decorated with puma heads and bent, stylized figures of warriors wearing elaborate feathered headdresses. Separate ornaments may have been attached to the mask near the eyes, around the nose and along the side of the face. The nose, which was raised in relief, has been lost.
[Gallery label text, 2009]
Provenance
Walram von Schoeler, New York (dealer); purchased from him by the Gallery in 1947
Keywords
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Additional Images
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Exhibition List
This object was included in the following exhibitions:
- Exhibition of Gold 10/31/1947 - 1/11/1948
- UR centennial display in Sibley, Lindsay & Curr Co. department store windows October 1950
- Around the World in Rochester 2/8/1952 - 3/2/1952
Bibliography
This object has the following bibliographic references:
- Article Author: Schilling, Susan E.. Article Scope: Article and reproduction. Susan Dodge Peters, ed. Memorial Art Gallery: An Introduction to the Collection. New York, New York: Memorial Art Gallery in association with Hudson Hills Press, 1988. Page Number: 264-265
- Article Title: A Pre-Columbian Mask. Article Scope: Article and reproduction. Memorial Art Gallery. Gallery Notes. Rochester, New York: Memorial Art Gallery, 1935-1995. Volume Number: 13, Issue Number: 4. Issue Date: March 1948.
- Article Scope: Entry and reproduction. Rochester Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester Handbook. Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press, 1961.
- Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, NY: Rochester Print Co.
- Article Author: Brayer, Betsy. Article Title: MAGnificent!. Article Scope: Reproduction only. Rochester Review. Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press Issue Date: Summer 1987. Page Number: 9
- Article Scope: Mention. Elizabeth Brayer. Magnum Opus: The Story of the Memorial Art Gallery, 1913-1988. Rochester, NY: Memorial Art Gallery, 1988.
- Irondequoit Press. Irondequoit, NY: Irondequoit Press
- Memorial Art Gallery. ARTiculate. Rochester, NY: Memorial Art Gallery, 2000--.
- Article Author: Hoene, Anne. Article Title: A Balanced Collection. Article Scope: Article and reproduction. Art Gallery Magazine. Ivoryton, CT: Wm. C. Bendig Volume Number: XI, Issue Number: 10. Issue Date: Summer 1968. Page Number: 19
- Article Author: Milliken, William M.. Article Title: Exhibition of Gold. Article Scope: Article and reproduction. The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art Page Number: 211-212
Portfolio List
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Web Links
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Chimu Burial Mask
Discussion questions, additional information for teachers to share with children, and a bibliography.
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
March 4, 1947, showing Baron Wolfram von Schoeler speaking about the Ancient Art of Peru and this mask, at Memorial Art Gallery.