Paracas
Probably Ocucaje, Ica Valley, south coast, Peru
Funerary Bundle Mask
INV-5371
Paracas
Probably Ocucaje, Ica Valley, south coast, Peru2nd century BCE
Funerary Bundle Mask
Paracas Probably Ocucaje, Ica Valley, south coast, Peru →ocucajeparacasearly horizonPre-Columbiantextileweaving - printed
Date
2nd century BCE
Medium
Cotton, plain weave with bundles of extended warps; painted
Dimensions
Without extended warps: 20.8 × 20.7 cm (8 3/16 × 8 1/8 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Simeon B. Williams Fund
Ancient South American communities maintained elaborate funerary traditions that included preserving and dressing the dead. Among the Paracas from the south coast of what is now Peru, deceased individuals were placed in a seated position and wrapped in layers of textiles and offerings, forming rounded bundles about three to four feet high. These bundles were often dressed in garments, headdresses, and masks, suggesting that the deceased’s identity continued after death.
Masks with lengths of unwoven warp loops—either folded behind the mask or tied into a circular topknot—were padded with unspun cotton and sewn atop a funerary bundles to emulate a human head and hair. They were often painted with stylized faces.
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