Currently not on view
Bead in the form of a head,
A.D. 390–450
Mochica Metalworking
The Mochica were ingenious experimenters with the technologies of metalworking. Building on earlier traditions of hammering and soldering thin sheets of silver or gold, the Mochica added lost-wax casting of bronze as well as a technique known as depletion gilding (and silvering). Using naturally occurring acids, Mochica metalworkers could remove copper from the surface of metal objects that also contained gold or silver, leaving a thin layer of these more prized materials. Gold and silver were generally reserved for jewelry and other objects for the highest-ranking individuals, while copper alloys were more common among lower-ranking groups.
Information
A.D. 390–450
South America, Peru, North coast
1996, Private Collection, New York, gift to the Princeton University Art Museum.
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