Collection
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Arts of the Americas

Mouth Mask

Nasca

1 of 3

Object Label

A common motif in Nasca art is the Anthropomorphic Mythical Being, or “masked god,” interpreted by scholars as a symbolic representation of the powerful spirits residing in nature. On the vessel seen here, the being is associated with agricultural fertility, as indicated by the many multicolored peppers depicted on its body. The figure holds two trophy heads in one hand and a club and some peppers in the other. Decapitation and the shedding of blood were associated with cultivation and the regeneration of plants. The figure is also shown wearing a hammered-gold mouth mask with snake imagery similar to the one displayed here. Snakes were linked to fertility and water cults.

Caption

Nasca. Mouth Mask, 100–400 C.E.. Hammered gold, A: 3 × 3 3/4 × 1/4 in. (7.6 × 9.5 × 0.6 cm) B: 2 x 2 7/8 x 1/4 in. (5.1 x 7.3 x 0.6 cm) C: 2 x 3 x 3/16 in. (5.1 x 7.6 x 0.5 cm) Total weight: 13.37 g. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc., 86.224.110a-c. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gallery

Not on view

Culture

Nasca

Title

Mouth Mask

Date

100–400 C.E.

Period

Early Nasca, Phases 2, 3, or 4

Geography

Place found: South Coast, Peru

Medium

Hammered gold

Classification

Ornament

Dimensions

A: 3 × 3 3/4 × 1/4 in. (7.6 × 9.5 × 0.6 cm) B: 2 x 2 7/8 x 1/4 in. (5.1 x 7.3 x 0.6 cm) C: 2 x 3 x 3/16 in. (5.1 x 7.6 x 0.5 cm) Total weight: 13.37 g

Credit Line

Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc.

Accession Number

86.224.110a-c

Frequent Art Questions

  • Hi! How does one wear a mouth mask? I can't picture how it stays on.

    This would have been suspended from the nose and covered the mouth. It would have been a symbol of high status in the Nasca culture of Peru, where this is from. The small linkage between the snakes is where it would have been suspended.
    Ah. So a piercing between nostrils. Ouch! Perhaps the upper part bends to wrap the nose too.
    Exactly! Nostril piercings are still popular today! As this Mouth Mask is made from fairly thin gold, it would not have been that heavy.
    We have more examples of Peruvian goldwork upstairs if you'd like to see more large jewelry.

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Artists and makers

Nasca

164 works in the collection