Chimú Silver Nose Ornaments

Room 11, Vitrine 135

Metal
Peruvian Northern Coast
Imperial Epoch (1300 AD – 1532 AD)
ML100431, ML100432, ML100581, ML100605, ML100747-ML100750, ML100964, ML101456, ML101460.

Silver, associated with the nighttime world of the moon and stars, was also linked with the world of the dead. In the Andean region, the world of the dead was identified with both the ocean and the dark depths of the humid earth. In other words, life began and ended in water.

These complex symbolic associations made silver the perfect material for the manufacture of personal adornments with a readily apparent ceremonial and funerary function.

It is interesting to note that the iconography of the nose and ear ornaments which accompanied the deceased members of the Chimú elite are associated with the figure of the deceased ruler at the center of the stepped structures. These structures may be representations of the funerary platforms in which rulers were laid to rest. The other motifs which can be seen are related to water, and they include fish, seabirds and Spondylus shells.

Silver Chimú nose ornaments repoussé and/or cut-off.