Mask representing a stylized human face. - Lot 407

Mask representing a stylized human face. Oxidized copper worked on a wooden core. The eyes are inlaid with shells. Height : 25 cm Width: 26.7 cm Mochica culture, Loma Negra, ca. 100 B.C.-600 A.D. Peru Particularly well preserved, this mask represents a stylized human face. The features are characteristic of the Mochica culture. Large, semicircular ears hang from the temples to the beginning of the lower jaw. The wide-open eyes are inlaid with shells on which a circular element imitates the iris of the eye. Above the eyes, the superciliary arches are well-defined, rounded and slightly raised. In the center, a long, prominent nose. Perforations can be seen on the cheeks and chin, used to suspend decorative elements probably made from plant material that has now disappeared. This is a funerary mask that was placed at the top of the burden. The mask on offer is exceptional not only for its size, but also for its evocative power. With its millennial age, this mask with its eyes wide open on eternity can only plunge us into a profound and shared introspection. Provenance: Collection of Monsieur F. Acquired from Hélène and Phillipe Leloup, Paris, 1996