Pre-Columbian, central coast Peru, Chancay, ca. 1000 to 1470 CE. A mummy bundle false head made from woven textile of plain weave cotton and a painted case; the front mask is decorated with an expressive visage comprised of wide-open diamond-shaped eyes, a wood applique nose painted a rosy red hue to match the complexion of the face, and a painted white toothy oval open mouth. This face is further adorned with a plaited tumpline of chocolate brown and natural beige camelid fibers that frames the face and wraps around a red and purple headband which holds a wavy netted coiffure of chocolate brown yarn hair. Stuffed with original leaf/vegetation filling, this false head would have been fastened to a mummy bundle, as was the traditional practice of the ancients of Peru. Similar examples may be found in some of the most esteemed museum collections of the world. Currently, the Museum of Nature and Science in Denver, Colorado is featuring an exhibition that offers a rare opportunity to examine mummies from both ancient Egypt as well as Peru side by side; the curators have included CT scans, three-dimensional computer modeling, and DNA analyses to offer new understandings about the lives and cultural practices of the these civilizations. Size: 9.5" W x 9" H (24.1 cm x 22.9 cm)

Provenance: Ex-NYC collection, Ex-Jean-Eugene Lions collection, Geneva

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#117763

A few tears to face (under nose, under left eye, left side of chin). Expected surface wear and minor losses to pigment and netted hair as shown.