A mask painted with bright red color was discovered when archeologists excavated the tomb of an elite 40–50-year-old man from the Sicán culture of Peru thirty years ago. The researchers reported that after analyzing the paint, they discovered that the red pigment contained blood and bird egg proteins.
In the early 90s, a team of archeologists and conservators led by Izumi Shimada excavated a tomb where an elite man’s seated skeleton was painted and was upside down at the center of the chamber. A red-painted gold mask that covered the man’s face was also found. At the time, scientists identified the paint as cinnabar but Luciana de Costa Carvalho, scientist and colleagues wondered what the Sicán people used in the paint mix to keep the layer attached to the metal surface for 1000 years.
The researchers went on and analyzed a small sample of the red paint on the mask. Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy revealed that the sample contained proteins. Six proteins from human blood in the red paint were identified. The Muscovy duck’s eggshells were a likely candidate to be used in the paint mix as well.
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Image Credit: Journal of Proteome