Artwork Page for Nose Ornament

Details / Information for Nose Ornament

Nose Ornament

c. 500–200 BCE

Peru, North Highlands, Chavín de Huantar(?), Chavín style

Medium
hammered and cut gold
Measurements
Overall: 2.3 x 5.2 cm (7/8 x 2 1/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Tishman 1958.183
Public Domain
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Location
232 Andean
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Description

There seems to be a link between Chavín religion and appearance of the Andes’ first large precious-metal objects, made using revolutionary new metallurgical processes. Chavín may have developed these technical innovations to express the inexpressible, the "wholly other" nature of its religion. In many areas, elite men and women wore the ornaments as emblems of their ties to this religion, and eventually were buried with them. These 16 objects, along with three others not in the museum’s collection, are said to have come as a group from Chavín itself.
A gold ornament features a central ring from which extend six spirals. Curving out on either side from the top, narrow strips of gold widen into bird-like heads with central eyes, looking up, extending into lines that appear like the division of a beak. The bird-like head on the left has rings hanging from the top of this beak and the back of the eye.

Nose Ornament

c. 500–200 BCE

Peru, North Highlands, Chavín de Huantar(?), Chavín style

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