Cleveland Museum of Art

Headdress Ornament

Date

c. 300 BCE–200 CE

Medium

hammered and embossed gold-copper alloy

Culture

Peru, South Coast, Paracas

Department

Art of the Americas

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

A similar star-shaped metal ornament is present on a human-hair wig from a mummy excavated at the Paracas Necropolis site. The wig has tresses wrapped with colored yarns, and a long headband wrapped many times around the head. The star-shaped ornament is attached to the headband, and a circular metal ornament is attached to the braid. Tumbaga is an alloy made by blending gold with copper, which may give the gold a rosy hue.

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