Pre-Columbian, north coast of Peru, Sican / Lambayeque culture, ca. 10th to 11th century CE. A beautiful funerary mask made of hammered copper with a dangling nose ornament and nacre shell eyes. White, mineral-based pigment covers much of the face, leaving the eyebrows, nose, mouth, and ears exposed - the white pigment is also textured from woven cloth being pressed into the surface over the ages, and pierced holes on the upper forehead and ear tabs are for affixing the visage to a mummy bundle. The shimmering white shell are cut into tear drop shapes and a copper pupil is set in the center, creating an intense, if somewhat esotropic expression! Size: 10.75" L x 8.5" W (27.3 cm x 21.6 cm)

This mask was made to adorn the body of a deceased elite member of the Sican society - gold was for lords, silver for noble women, and copper for wealthy commoners. The face seems to not represent an individual, but instead a stylized Deity, as all of the known masks from the region follow a very similar template. In this way, the deceased could assume a godly identity. Sican elites were patrons of workshops that made fine metal objects like this one, and they took their wealth with them when they died. Buried in mounds, they would be entombed in high style. At the site of Batan Grande, a single burial could include up to five masks - one on the head, and the others at the feet. These masks were placed into graves alongside headdresses, scepters, crowns, ceremonial weapons, and even sometimes wooden litters for bearing the deceased.

Provenance: ex-Marc Amiguet Schmitt estate, Amiguet's Ancient Art, Evansville, Indiana, USA, acquired prior to January 1, 2010

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#173324

Repair to earspool on left ear and repair to tear from chin to nose, nearly indiscernible and well done. Perforation through mouth area and tears to ear panels on both sides and stable fissures. Great patina and preservation to pigment and nacre eyes. Earthen and mineral deposits on the surface.