Mummy Bundle Mask

About the Art

This mask was used for decorating a mummy from the Chimú people who lived in ancient Peru. The shiny gold surface, and especially the convex eyes and dangling spangles, would have created a sense of life and movement as they reflected light during a burial procession. Ruling elite from this cultural group were buried in opulent tombs and this mask was found in an excavation near Chan Chan, the Chimú capital.

FEATURED IMAGE
Artist(s) unknown (Peru, Chimú), Mummy Bundle Mask, 1100–-1470, gold alloy, copper and traces of paint, 10 1/2 x 16 1/2 x 6 3/4 inches (26.7 x 41.9 x 17.1 cm). Museum purchase with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Ralf Kircher and Mr. Louis Jacobs, 1967.46