Mummy Mask
200/100 B.C.
Paracas South coast, Peru
Peru
Painted to emulate the features of a human face, this mummy mask also has fringe suggestive of hair, this mask probably was part of a mummy bundle. When the Paracas buried their dead, they placed the deceased in a seated position and wrapped it in layers of woven garments; masks were placed atop the bundle and served as a reminder of the human body within the many layers of wrapped cloth.
Cotton, plain weave with bundles of extended warps; painted