Chimu-lambayeque Funeral Mask - Peru

Sican, Peru 1100 to 1400 AD

Mask hammered in a thin plate of copper-coloured metal to which time has given an intense green patina. Presence of some traces of cinnabar, considered a sacred pigment. The shape of the face obeys canons characteristic of the Chimu-Lambayeque style of culture: drop-shaped eyes, ear extending to the lobe, marked with circles, with a mouth inscribed with two parallel lines.

The protruding nose is a piece of metal added. This kind of mask covered the face of the deceased in the Lambayeque valley. They could wear several of these funerary masks which were tied on top of each other, covering the head of the deceased.

Funeral masks in the Chimu culture have many variations in shape, refinement and size which makes each piece very unique. On the other hand, we can note that a great uniformity transpires from the mask productions of this culture, respecting artistic canons as well as an aesthetic which is very particular to them.

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