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  • The nose-pieces of the Lady of Cao will be presented at the British Museum


    Pieces from the El Brujo Archaeological Complex will be exhibited in the United Kingdom along with other cultural assets of Peru.

Six nose-pieces that are part of the funerary paraphernalia of the Lady of Cao, and which are in the custody of the museum of the El Brujo Archaeological Complex (CAEB), were given on loan to the British Museum of London, in the United Kingdom, for the conduct of the exhibition entitled "Peru: a journey through time", which will take place from November 11, 2021 through February 20, 2022.

In total, 43 pieces will be exhibited in the European country, coming from nine Peruvian museums. Among these are, in addition to the nose-pieces, a Moche-style ceremonial outfit from the "Santiago Uceda Castillo" Museum, beautiful ceramic and metal pieces from the collection of the National Museum of Archeology, Anthropology and History of Peru; as well as some of the assets of the Kuntur Wasi Museum in Cajamarca, including an impressive 2 500-year-old gold headdress and a pair of pendants that were part of an elite burial found in the archaeological site of the same name. 

"The pieces that will be presented at the British Museum in London, among which will be the nose-pieces of the Lady of Cao, are important and renowned, and will reflect the high technological development achieved by our ancestors. The nose-pieces were metal artifacts used by the pre-Hispanic northern elites. They were made with precious metals, such as gold and silver, through complex techniques that, even today, generate astonishment around the world.", says Rubén Buitrón, head of the laboratory of the El Brujo Archaeological Complex.

"As an archaeologist at the El Brujo Archaeological Complex, I am glad to be able to contribute so that these pieces are exhibited abroad, and thus make known how Andean societies made important achievements, not only at a metallurgical level, but also at a technological level. The research around the nose-pieces of the Lady of Cao tell us that they were created through advanced technological procedures for the time, such as welding; very complex techniques, including for the Europeans of that time. It is an opportunity to show ourselves to the world in a different way", reflects the CAEB laboratory manager.

The role of Wiese Foundation is to provide technical assistance to the British Museum. That is to say, to collaborate with the process for selecting the pieces to be exhibited, indicating the conservation conditions required during the exhibition, providing the corresponding sheets for leaving the country, offering a technical opinion on their assembly in the exhibit room of the British Museum, and any other type of formality that has to do with the care and conservation of the pieces of the El Brujo Archaeological Complex.

"We have been, and will continue to be, in constant communication with the specialists from the British Museum, who will report to us on the state of the pieces throughout the months of exhibition, through digital tools," says Buitrón.

About the event

"Peru: a journey through time" is an exhibition that will take place at the British Museum of London, in the United Kingdom, from November 11, thanks to an agreement signed between the aforementioned institution and the Ministry of Culture of Peru. It explores the thousands of years that humans have lived in the extraordinary landscapes of the Andes Mountains and beyond.

It is worth mentioning that this is the first major exhibition that the British Museum organizes on Peru, and that it takes place within the framework of the celebrations for the Bicentennial of the country's Independence. The exhibition can be visited until February 20, 2022.

As its organizers tell us, the exhibition will begin with the Chavín culture, in the year 1200 BC, until the Inca epoch in the XV century, tracing the history of six little-known, but extraordinary, ancient Peruvian societies. Cultures that to this day maintain firm evidence of their existence and their majesty throughout the national territory.

The exhibition tour will end with a look at the Andean legacy, and how today's society reflects a combination of cultures, religions and transformations of the last 3 000 years of history.

 

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