"Mummy bundle" head or "false head", c. 1000 - 1400 AD
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Lot: 138
Online Auction"Mummy bundle" head or "false head", c. 1000 - 1400 AD
Peru, Central Coast, Chancay
| Provenance | Size | Starting price / estimated price |
|---|---|---|
| Hans Marcus (1912-1992), Düsseldorf, Germany |
H: 21.3 inch; B: 14 inch |
600 EUR
plus 27 % commission, VAT, transport and insurance |
A fine "mummy bundle false head" made from tightly woven cotton sack and camelid fibers (alpaca or llama), with hammered and cut sheets made from a copper - silver alloy sewn to the cloth as the visage.
When used, the pillow case would have been stuffed with fiber (straw, raw cotton) to create volume and fastened as a "false head" to the top of a mummy bundle ("fardo").
Chancay mummies were tightly wrapped in a seated position with yards and yards of cloth, creating drum- to cylinder-shaped "mummy bundles".
"False heads" can also be carved from wood or hammered and chased from metal, such as gold, silver and copper.
This object is subject to the UNESCO Cultural Heritage Protection Act. Export documents are required for export (subjected to a fee)
