c. 300 BC-AD 100
Hammered and embossed gold-copper alloy
Overall: 8.8 x 4.8 cm (3 7/16 x 1 7/8 in.)
The Norweb Collection 1940.513
Tumbaga is an alloy made by blending gold with copper, which may give the gold a rosy hue.
With its grinning mouth and long, protruding tongue, the face embossed on this fragmentary ornament resembles linear images painted on mummy masks and woven on doublecloth tunics and mantles. Both painted mummy masks and doublecloth garments are most often found in the Ica Valley, a short distance south of the Paracas Peninsula. The ornament's original function is uncertain.
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