Monumental Moche Mask | Repousse Lord's Face, Gilded Pectoral

Pre-Columbian, Peru, North Coast, Moche, ca. 100–500 CE. A monumental sheet metal mask, hammered and repousse-worked into the broad face of a lord, the brow crossed by a raised headband and the almond eyes fitted with small disc danglers now fused in place by corrosion. The nose is modeled naturalistically in high relief, the wide mouth set with barely parted lips. Large separately worked disc ear ornaments with beaded borders flank the cheeks, while a pectoral of seventeen large gilded discs, ancient and of Moche date but strung on recently, sweeps below the chin. A deep blue-green patina covers the surface. Masks of this scale were mortuary furnishings, likely mounted on a funerary bundle or coffin to give a face to the elite dead. Size: 18" W x 21" H (45.7 cm W x 53.3 cm H).

Moche metalsmiths of Peru's north coast were the finest in the ancient Americas, working copper and its alloys by cold hammering, annealing, and repousse rather than casting, and mastering depletion gilding, a chemical process that leached base metal from an alloy's surface to leave a skin of gold on an object that was mostly copper. The great royal tombs at Sipan, excavated from 1987, revealed how such regalia functioned: masks, ear discs, nose ornaments, and sheet pectorals wrapped the bodies of lords, converting the corpse into an image of authority for the grave.

Scale is the measure of status here. Most surviving Moche funerary masks are a fraction of this one's size, and the record's claim that it ranks among the largest known Mochica examples is credible on the visual evidence. The gilded disc pectoral, though of the period, is a modern assembly and should be understood as an addition rather than as an excavated association.

Provenance: Private American collection. Ex. H. J. Westermann collection, Germany, 1950-1960.

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Item #

73178

Condition
Overall strong blue-green surface patina. A few very minor bits of restoration, overall Excellent condition.

Buyer's Premium
30%