Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Post with a Carved Face
(Ancient Americas )
Placed beside or inside a tomb, this grave marker resembles a human figure. If buried, the post would have supported the roof of a tomb of the Ica-Chincha people, who lived on the central coast of Peru. Crowned with a two-pronged headdress, the post was treated the same way as a human skull in a tomb: the red colorant that can still be seen on the post is the same red cinnabar pigment used after death to paint the skeletal remains of the Ica-Chincha people.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Martin and Ullman Artweave Textile Gallery, New York; purchased by a private collection, 1992; given to Walters Art Museum, 2009.
Exhibitions
| 2018 | Crowning Glory: Art of the Americas. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 12/4/2017 | Examination | chemical analysis; examined for exhibition |
| 12/4/2017 | Examination | Pigment on face was analyzed using x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. The pigment was shown to contain mercury indicating that it is likely cinnabar. |
Geographies
Peru (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 68 1/2 x W: 12 1/4 x D: 5 in. (174 x 31.1 x 12.7 cm)
Credit Line
Anonymous gift, 2009
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
61.351
