Mask

Item number Sf565 from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

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Description

A rectangular foil mask with humanoid features constructed of three sheets of foil joined lengthwise by strap-like staples. The embossed features include a large nose, thin-lipped mouth, and teardrop-shaped eyes. The eye pupils are flat green stones, also teardrop-shaped.

History Of Use

In Chimu times, the dead were placed in a seated position and wrapped with multiple layers of cloth. In burials of important people, masks fashioned from sheet metal were then positioned over the face area of the mummy bundle (Moseley). Like this specimen, masks were frequently covered with paint, exposing very little of the precious metal. The tear-drop eye shape derives from the Lambayeque Style influence of the far north coast.

Iconographic Meaning

In Chimu art, "There is frequent representation of human beings with outward or upward slanting eyes. These objects presumably accompanied members of the aristocracy to their graves and served as emblems of an as yet undecoded system of ranks and statuses" (Moseley).