PERUVIAN ARTS & CRAFTS MASK COLLECTIonTHE PERUVIAN FUNERARY MASKAs in the case of other ancient peoples such as the Egyptian's, ancient Peruvian's maintained a deep sense of life after death that led them to the development of complex funeral rites and burial paraphernalia for the purpose of saying farewell to the dead on their voyage to the afterlife. The burial masks were used for centuries in ancient Peruvian cultures to complete the burial attire in which the deceased lords and dignitaries were carefully wrapped and inhumed. Because of their high aesthetic quality, pre-Columbian masks have inspired numerous contemporary artistic expressions. Modern artists are still impressed by the vivid intensity of emotions that these ancient masks reflect, witnesses of civilizations at their peak of vitality.Ancient masks were not a realistic form of representing a deceased individual. They were more precisely a form of representing natural qualities, personality and rank. They were also a
NAZCA FUNERARY MASK