A historically important work identified by Pre Columbian expert Spencer Throckmorton of Throckmorton Fine Arts,NYC in 1993 for the previous owner.“It is a fine carving and has what appears to be markings that are similar to the southeastern Buzzard Death Culture of the shell Weeping Eye Death Masks/ Gorgets which date to around 1500 AD. Some believe that the culture developed independently of Mesoamerica, but there are many other shell Gorgets that mimic carvings from Mesoamerica. The importance of this mask is that it shows a direct link.” -Lawrence SchaeferAuthenticated by Dr. Frank Preusser who had more than 35 years of experience in the scientific examination of works of art and historical and archaeological artifacts, including The Dead Sea Scrolls. He is a chief research scientist for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. He was the chief scientist at the Doerner Institute in Munich and co-director of the J. Paul Getty Conservation Institute He has consulted for UNESCO, the World Bank, the World Monuments Fund, and others. The nine-page report, generated in January 2009, will be provided the winning bidder. [3 1/2 x 3 inches].