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Mouth Mask

100 BC-AD 700

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

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.

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Learn more about this artwork.
  • Title: Mouth Mask
  • Date Created: 100 BC-AD 700
  • Physical Dimensions: Overall: 14 x 19.4 cm (5 1/2 x 7 5/8 in.)
  • Type: Metalwork
  • Rights: CC0
  • External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1945.377
  • Medium: hammered gold alloy
  • Department: Art of the Americas
  • Culture: Peru, South Coast, Nasca style (100 BC-AD 700)
  • Credit Line: Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
  • Collection: AA - Andes
  • Accession Number: 1945.377
The Cleveland Museum of Art

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