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Details
LOT 0441
Prehispanic Mayan Jade Mask
6TH-9TH CENTURY A.D.
7 7/8 in. (1.1 kg total, 20 cm high including stand).
A human mask carved from a block of jade with lateral piercings for attachment at the temple and lower ear, prominent nose and lips, recessed eyes to accept inlay; mounted on a custom-made display stand.
Provenance
with Throckmorton Fine Arts, 1990s.
English private collection.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11720-199826.
Literature
See Schmidt, P., Maya Civilization, Thames and Hudson, London, 1998, pp.554 and 555, for other examples of jade masks from the ancient Maya.
Footnotes
Carved from jade, the most highly prized material of the ancient Maya, this mask displays a naturalism suggestive of a specific individual of importance. Other known examples appear to emphasise the supernatural or aspects of particular deities.
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