Pre-Columbian, Peru, Chimu, ca. 1100 to 1470 CE. A beautiful copper mask made of hammered copper, with small pierced holes around the edges for affixing it. This mask was made to adorn the body of a deceased elite member of the Chimu society - gold was for lords, silver for noble women, and copper for wealthy commoners. The face has wide eyes, a long nose, and no discernible mouth. It probably once had many appliques and attachments, perhaps made of gold or special stones; there may also have once been bright pigment on it. The eyes probably had special attention paid to them; similar examples show eyes with thin projections emerging from the pupils, perhaps indicating some kind of magical or enhanced ability to see. Chimu elites were patrons of workshops that made fine metal objects like this one, and they took their wealth with them when they died. Buried in prepared tombs, they would spend the afterlife in high style. Size: 7.25" W x 6" H (18.4 cm x 15.2 cm)

Provenance: Ex-Stepman collection acquired before 1980

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