GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The Sicán culture flourished in northern Peru between 700 and 1300 CE. This mask depicts the most important human image in Sicán art, a mythic or religious figure called the Sicán Lord. Dallas’s mask is characteristically horizontal, with comma‑shaped eyes, a prominent nose, and a rectangular flange at each side, which typically supported circular ear ornaments. The eyes of the mask are overlaid with copper, which has oxidized to a deep green, and traces of red on the forehead and cheeks show that it, like other masks, was painted with cinnabar. A similar mask from Huaca Loro (Sicán National Museum, Ferreñafe, Peru) was accompanied by a headdress of silver and gold, indicating that such masks represented an element of elaborate ceremonial regalia.
Excerpt from
Bonnie Pitman, ed., "Ceremonial Mask (1969.1.McD)," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012), 30.
NOTES
- Sicán (Lambayeque), Late Intermediate Period, 900–1100 C.E., updated by KJones in TMS on 10/15/13, 11/06/13, 11/29/13, and 09/16/16.
- Fun Facts Source: Ken Kelsey, Gail Davitt, Mary Ann Allday, Troy Smythe, and Barbara Barrett, "Ceremonial Mask (1969.1.McD)," in Art of the Americas at the Dallas Museum of Art, DMA Teaching Packet (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art, 1995), 14-15.
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Until 1969: Edward L. Shaw, Buenos Aires, Argentina [1]
From 1969: Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc., purchased from the above [1], [2], [3]
[1] The main source for this provenance is Acquisition Record (dated March 4, 1969, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[2] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.
[3] Works of art given or purchased by The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc., a non-profit organization, are placed in the custody of the DMA for the purpose of public display on the premises of the Museum or in other recognized art galleries or museum. The title to all works of art purchased (or otherwise acquired) by the McDermott Art Fund remains with the Fund.
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
- Masking is an age-old tradition practiced by many cultures. Gold masks such as this one survived because they were buried in tombs, probably accompanying their original owners in death. In 1991 archaeologist Izumi Shimada discovered an undisturbed tomb that included a gold mask as well as other finely worked metal objects that could have been worn with it. Although burial was their final use, the masks may well have been worn during the lifetime of the owner. Covered in reflective gold and silver, the man who wore the mask represented status and power within Sicán culture. The face on the mask linked him to the principal Sicán god.
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1969.1.McD
Category
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General Description
The Sicán culture flourished in northern Peru between 700 and 1300 CE. This mask depicts the most important human image in Sicán art, a mythic or religious figure called the Sicán Lord. Dallas’s mask is characteristically horizontal, with comma‑shaped eyes, a prominent nose, and a rectangular flange at each side, which typically supported circular ear ornaments. The eyes of the mask are overlaid with copper, which has oxidized to a deep green, and traces of red on the forehead and cheeks show that it, like other masks, was painted with cinnabar. A similar mask from Huaca Loro (Sicán National Museum, Ferreñafe, Peru) was accompanied by a headdress of silver and gold, indicating that such masks represented an element of elaborate ceremonial regalia.
Excerpt from
Bonnie Pitman, ed., "Ceremonial Mask (1969.1.McD)," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012), 30.
Fun Facts
- Masking is an age-old tradition practiced by many cultures. Gold masks such as this one survived because they were buried in tombs, probably accompanying their original owners in death. In 1991 archaeologist Izumi Shimada discovered an undisturbed tomb that included a gold mask as well as other finely worked metal objects that could have been worn with it. Although burial was their final use, the masks may well have been worn during the lifetime of the owner. Covered in reflective gold and silver, the man who wore the mask represented status and power within Sicán culture. The face on the mask linked him to the principal Sicán god.
Archival Resources
Web Resources
Notes
- Sicán (Lambayeque), Late Intermediate Period, 900–1100 C.E., updated by KJones in TMS on 10/15/13, 11/06/13, 11/29/13, and 09/16/16.
- Fun Facts Source: Ken Kelsey, Gail Davitt, Mary Ann Allday, Troy Smythe, and Barbara Barrett, "Ceremonial Mask (1969.1.McD)," in Art of the Americas at the Dallas Museum of Art, DMA Teaching Packet (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art, 1995), 14-15.
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Until 1969: Edward L. Shaw, Buenos Aires, Argentina [1]
From 1969: Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc., purchased from the above [1], [2], [3]
[1] The main source for this provenance is Acquisition Record (dated March 4, 1969, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[2] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.
[3] Works of art given or purchased by The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc., a non-profit organization, are placed in the custody of the DMA for the purpose of public display on the premises of the Museum or in other recognized art galleries or museum. The title to all works of art purchased (or otherwise acquired) by the McDermott Art Fund remains with the Fund.
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VIDEO ASSETS
rules
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Objects
number
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1969.1.McD
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object_notes_3_c-0109.xml.nores