Chavín Funerary Offering

Room 10, Vitrine 129

Metal
Highlands of northern Peru
Formative Epoch (1250 BC – 1 AD)
ML100241, ML100541

In these pieces we can appreciate the great skill and talent of the metalworkers of the Formative Epoch, which marked the beginning of the development of metallurgy on the north of Peru.

This gold crown is decorated with a representation of a being with a human form and the features of a feline (fangs), bird of prey (claws) and serpents (hair and belt). It is clearly a supernatural being meant to express the power of the three worlds. It is holding scepters in both hands, which are intertwined with those carried by the figures shown in profile on both sides.

This composition featuring a central figure flanked by two other figures seen in profile appears quite frequently in the ceremonial and funerary objects of ancient Peru.

Gold disc-like breastplate with S-shaped motifs on its edges.