Material: gold, copper overlays, cinnabar

Size: H. 11 1/2 x W. 19 1/2 in.

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First, take a minute or two to look closely at the images above. Write down your reaction to this object--what details do you notice? Why did you pick this object for your response paper? Make notes on things that you notice about it. Also, write down any questions you have about it--what kinds of things would you want to know about this object? Remember the questions we ask in class. You don't need to have answers for these questions yet, but keep them in your notes.

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Once you have some questions written down, try to answer them by reading the information I've provided below about this object and its context.​

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What do we know about this object?​

This mask, made of hammered sheet gold alloy and covered in red pigment, once adorned the body of a deceased ruler on Peru’s north coast, part of the Sican culture (also known as Lambayeque). Powerful dynasties arose in this region between the eighth and the fourteenth centuries A.D. and amassed great riches in gold and silver before they were conquered by the Inca Empire in the late fifteenth century. The lords of these dynasties were the patrons of vast workshops where finely crafted ornaments and ceremonial vessels were created. At death, the lords were buried deep in monumental mud-brick platform mounds along with large numbers of objects of precious metal, shell, and cloth. In addition to beakers, disks, and other ornaments, the burials included large masks made of sheet gold. These masks were sometimes attached to the head of the textile-wrapped body, though extra masks could sometimes be included in the tomb. Recent excavations of Sican tombs by Carlos Wester and his team have revealed that such masks were part of the burial regalia of high-status women as well as men. According to myths on the north coast, gold was particularly associated with male rulers, silver with noble women, and copper with commoners. A mask from Chornancap, found in the tomb of an importance priestess, was made of silver. 

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This mask was made of an alloy of 74 percent gold, 20 percent silver, and 6 percent copper which was then hammered into a sheet and shaped into the form of a face. Interestingly, cinnabar, a red mineral pigment, covers much of the cheeks and forehead of this mask, obscuring the gold surface. Remember that, in our class on Central America, we encountered the pigment cinnabar rubbed into jade carvings to highlight details; cinnabar was also used in burials by the cultures of Central America. One theory is that the red color evoked the idea of blood, a symbol of life and vitality. In a tomb, such a color might evoke eternal life in the underworld.

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Faint traces of the textile wrappings that once enveloped the mummy bundle can be detected in impressions on the red paint. Masks in museum collections are often missing such surface embellishment, as modern curators sometimes remove the pigment to show off the gold. The eyes of this mask have thin, skewer-like projections emerging from the pupils, perhaps suggesting powerful or piercing vision. In other masks these projections include small beads of amber and emerald, which have led scholars to interpret the projections as tears. The pointed ovoid eyes on this mask and others, sometimes referred to as winged eyes, have been identified as defining features of a being known as the Sicán Deity. Why do you think a deceased person might be depicted as (or connected with) a deity? On the ears and ear ornaments can be seen restored examples of the silver-surfaced overlays (now corroded green) that would have also been originally present attached to the mask. Further surface additions include danglers on the U-shaped nose ornament. Such spangles would have caught the light of the bright sun and conveyed a sense of movement and life as a mummy bundle was carried to its final resting place. 

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Some things to consider in your response paper:​

• What was your response to this object? What drew your eye? What do you like about it, or dislike? You are encouraged to use first person (I/me) in your response paper. I want to know what you think.

• Consider the artistic details of this object carefully. What kinds of decisions did the artist make when they were creating this piece, and why? Use your art terminology. Consider the different parts of this piece, but also consider the materials used, which each had significance in this culture.

• What aspects of this face are humanlike? Which aspects are not? The artist might easily have chosen to produce an accurate portrait of the deceased--artisans of these South American cultures were certainly capable of such naturalistic art. Why did the artist choose instead to make a more abstract type of face? Maybe this isn't even supposed to be a true representation of the deceased--in which case, who might it be representing? I'm just thinking out loud here...

• Who might have owned/used a piece like this? I mentioned above that these objects are usually found in tombs. What can we say about the person who might have had this object in their tomb? Imagine the funeral procession to deposit the body and grave goods in the tomb. What meaning(s) would this mask have had for any spectators watching the funeral procession? How about for the family members of the deceased?