A funerary gold mask from the Museum of Sicán, Ferrañafe, Peru was analyzed in 30 different areas using a portable equipment using energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence. It was deduced from the measurements that the main sheet of the mask and the majority of the pendants have a similar composition and are made of tumbaga, which means a poor gold alloy enriched at the surface by depletion gilding, and have a similar ‘equivalent’ gilding thickness of about 5 µm. The nose, also on tumbaga, has different composition and a thickness of about 8 µm. The clamps are on gilded or on silvered copper. The red pigment dispersed on the surface of the mask is cinnabar.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Cesareo et al. (2009) studied this question.