Forehead Ornament

100 BCE–700 CE
Overall: 27.4 x 9.3 cm (10 13/16 x 3 11/16 in.)
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Location: 232 Andean

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Did You Know?

Tumbaga is an alloy made by blending gold with copper, which may give the gold a rosy hue.

Description

Nasca figures, like one on a bowl nearby, are shown wearing such forehead ornaments and mouth masks similar to these. The mouth mask hung from the nasal septum, the oval opening surrounding the mouth and the bristles positioned as feline whiskers, here transformed to serpents. Both were cut from sheet gold; details were worked freehand while the sheet rested on a soft surface.
Forehead Ornament

Forehead Ornament

100 BCE–700 CE

Peru, South Coast, Nasca

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