Plume
Not on view
Ornamental plumes made of hammered gold sheet are known from several periods and places in ancient Peru. In shape, they emulate feathers—a material that was perhaps even more esteemed than gold itself. Likely intended to be affixed to a headdress, also of gold sheet, or another material, such ornaments distinguished curacas (leaders) from other members of a community. This plume and its mate (66.196.47) were embossed with animal forms on the top and middle sections and a human face with comma-shaped eyes in the bottom section, all separated by lines of raised circles.
References and Further Reading
Aimi, Antonio, Makowski, Krzysztof, and Perassi, Emilia. Lambayeque: Nuevos horizontes de la arqueología peruana. Milan: Ledizioni, 2016.
Pillsbury, Joanne. “Imperial Radiance: Luxury Arts of the Incas and Their Predecessors.” In Golden Kingdoms: Luxury Arts in the Ancient Americas, edited by Joanne Pillsbury, Timothy Potts, and Kim N. Richter, pp. 33-35. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2017.
Wester La Torre, Carlos. Chornancap: Palacio de una gobernante y sacerdotisa de la cultura Lambayeque. Chiclayo: Ministerio de Cultura del Perú, 2016.
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