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Source Description
The Paracas people buried their dead in pear-shaped mummy bundles, created by carefully wrapping the seated human body in layers of garments and other textiles. Sometimes a painted cloth was placed on the outer layer at the top of the bundle, as though it served as the bundle’s face, head, or “mask.” Some cloths were painted with masklike faces, although others—such as this example—feature complete figures, which may be mythological beings with supernatural appendages.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
119677
label
Mummy Bundle "Mask"
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
119677
contentType
object
title
Mummy Bundle "Mask"
description
The Paracas people buried their dead in pear-shaped mummy bundles, created by carefully wrapping the seated human body in layers of garments and other textiles. Sometimes a painted cloth was placed on the outer layer at the top of the bundle, as though it served as the bundle’s face, head, or “mask.” Some cloths were painted with masklike faces, although others—such as this example—feature complete figures, which may be mythological beings with supernatural appendages.
date
200–1 BCE
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q80014831
genreSpecific
Textile
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 66 x 20.9 x 3.8 cm (26 x 8 1/4 x 1 1/2 in.)
cul
Peru, South Coast, Ica Valley, Ocucaje site, Paracas style
accession
1940.516
Source extras
tec
cotton and pigment, plain weave
tombstone
Mummy Bundle "Mask", 200–1 BCE. Peru, South Coast, Ica Valley, Ocucaje site, Paracas style. Cotton and pigment, plain weave; overall: 66 x 20.9 x 3.8 cm (26 x 8 1/4 x 1 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Norweb Collection, 1940.516
collection
T - Pre-Columbian
didYouKnow
These masks fall into two categories, those with only a face and those with a full-bodied figure.
creditline
The Norweb Collection
galleryDonorText
Jon A. Lindseth and Virginia M. Lindseth, PhD, Galleries of the Ancient Americas
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:10:41.683000
sourceId
119677
dept
Textiles
coll
T - Pre-Columbian
med
cotton and pigment, plain weave
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
c0ca0c1e4b835ca6