Pre-Columbian, North Coast Peru, Loma Negra region, Moche culture, ca. 500 to 100 BCE. A gilt copper funerary face mask adorned with dangling ornaments. The thin metal sheet is roughly rectangular in shape - narrower at the neck with a slightly curved top edge - to follow the contour of a brow. At the center of the visage is a rolled gilt copper sheet creating a tubular nose with flaps at the top and bottom openings. The eyes and mouth are hammered from the backside to create an embossed texture. Along the peripheries are six flat ornaments that are the same shape as the mask, hanging freely on thin coiled wires that are pierced through the mask. The Moche cultures were masters of gold smithery and created stunning works. The eyes are not cut out, meaning this mask was meant for the deceased and not for living people to wear. Size: 6.8" W x 7.5" H (17.3 cm x 19 cm); 8.5" H (21.6 cm) on included custom stand.

Metal sheets needed to be heated and cooled, a process called annealing, to change the rigidity of the metal and make it pliable to shape. A special brazier and many workers would be needed to stoke the fire and hammer the sheet to the desired thickness, and such metalwork would be costly to commission. Masks for the lower society were comprised of wood, ceramic, or cloth, while those belonging to the most respected and powerful were made of copper, gold, and/or silver. These masks were for funerary purposes, to cover the face of the deceased.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-private Hans Juergen Westermann collection, Germany, collected from 1950s to 1960s

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#159624

Small fissure on bottom left side. Expected surface wear with chipping and fading of gilt commensurate with age. Old inventory labels on backside. Areas of green patina!