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.