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THBSpectacular Sican Lambayeque Gilt Copper Mask
About Seller
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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About Auction
LiveNov 10, 2022
Museum-worthy examples of classical antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Viking, Far East / Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Nautical, Fossils, Ancient Jewelry, Fine / Visual Arts, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
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- Lot Description
Pre-Columbian, north coast of Peru, Sican / Lambayeque culture, ca. 10th to 11th century CE. A dazzling gilt copper mask presenting a traditionally rectangular visage with dangling ornaments and piercing eyes. Intended to cover the face of the deceased, the hammered-copper vizard exhibits thin, arched brows, huge, winged eyes with skewer-like projections emerging from the convex pupils, a bulbous nose with lengthy nostril adornments, an ovoid mouth, and a round chin. Giant ears fit with annular earspools flank the head, all decorated with a stippled border, while additional spangles embellish the chin, ears, and cheeks. Ornaments such as these would have caught the light of the bright sun and conveyed a sense of movement as the deceased was transported to their final resting place. Size (mask): 12.3" W x 9" H (31.2 cm x 22.9 cm); (modern display case): 19" L x 11" W x 17" H (48.3 cm x 27.9 cm x 43.2 cm); gold quality: 12.2% to 20.7%
This mask was made to adorn the body of a deceased elite member of the Sican society - gold and silver were reserved for royalty, and copper for the nobility. 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. It is difficult to imagine just how much wealth each individual was buried with - for example, one of the few controlled excavations of a high status Sican tomb, archaeologists found 1.2 tons of grave goods inside of a 3-meter square shaft tomb that also contained a man, aged 40 to 50 alongside four sacrificial victims, two women and two children. This included vast quantities of gold, silver, and copper artifacts. The winged eyes seen on this example have been identified as a defining feature of the Sican Deity. An individual buried with such a mask would have been thought to take on aspects of the Deity's power and changed into a venerated ancestor after death.
Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection, before 2010; ex-Eugene Lions collection, Geneve, Switzerland, collected 1960-2000
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
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#173414Nose reattached with break lines visible. Piercings in some areas indicating that some dangling ornaments have been lost. Some light bending and abrasions to surface. Minor nicks to some peripheries. Otherwise, excellent with nice patina. Great preservation of original gilding and form. Accompanied by modern display case.Condition
- Shipping Info
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Artemis Gallery will no longer be able to offer in-house shipping for most international orders, as well as all oversized orders, including most paintings. These items are clearly marked in the listing as “3rd Party Shipping Required” in the listing. We have a list of recommended third party shippers to assist you in shipping to and from, and would be happy to assist you in working with them. We require a written authorization from the client to release property to any third party. You may fax a Shipping Release Form to 303-828-3235 or email your authorization to kristen@artemisgallery.com. Please note the all property must be removed from our premises within seven (7) business days following the last day of the auction.
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