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keywordPath%20%3D%20%22GYGA%22%20and%20Period%20%3D%20%22Precolumbian%22
Metalwork
Burial Mask
Chimú artist, (active )
Chimú artist
Peru
Primary
9 5/16 x 17 3/8 x 9/16 in. (23.7 x 44.1 x 1.5 cm)
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overall
overall
Gold, silver and copper alloy
Gold, silver and copper alloy
Chimú; made in Chicama Valley, Peru
1100-1470
1100
1470
1000-1400, 1400-1600, Chimu, funerary objects, masks, metalwork, Pre-Columbian art of Central & South America
Metalwork
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]
1947.9
item
Memorial Art Gallery
11/21/2000
47.9TR1
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4 x 5
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Textiles
Burial Mantle with Feline Figures
Paracas artist, (active )
Paracas artist
Peru
48 1/4 x 113 in. (122.6 x 287 cm)
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Cotton and wool
Cotton and wool
Paracas; made in Peru
ca. 175 BCE - 100 CE
175 BCE
100
funerary objects, Paracas, Pre-Columbian art of Central & South America, textiles
Textiles
1944.52
item
Memorial Art Gallery
2/3/2001
44.52SL1
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full
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44.52DI1
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detail
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2 x 2
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44.52DI#3
digital image
Detail
6/10/2009
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/44.52_A3.jpg