Pre-Columbian mask of the Colima
€5,660
available
Object number
AR3506
| Object: |
Pre-Columbian mask of the Colima
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| Material: |
Orange clay with dark slip.
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| Period: |
200 AD to 300 AD. Early Classical Period of Mexico. |
| Description: |
Life-size oval face mask. The facial features are dominated by a high forehead and a slight abstraction. The large indentations for the eyes and mouth are highlighted with white paint. This makes the mask very expressive. With five holes in the ears, temples and forehead, the face mask could once be fastened, or ornaments could be attached to the mask. It is a work of art from the west coast of present-day Mexico, created by the Colima culture for a funeral. |
| Background: |
Masks embody the ancient cultures of Central America like no other artefact. Originally, they were mostly made for burial rituals, which is probably also true for the present example. A notable feature of the Colima masks is that they were made of clay and not stone.
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| Dimensions: |
23.5cm high, 17.5cm wide, 8.0cm deep.
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| Condition: |
Almost perfect condition. A stable crack across the face, which does not spoil the overall impression. Beautifully preserved dark slip.
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| Provenance: |
Acquired by us in 2023 on the German art market. Previously in a German private collection. Acquired into the collection in the Sotheby's New York auction "Pre-Columbian Art" on 24 November 1997, lot no. 284. Consigned from the museum collection of the US-American Washington University Gallery of Art. Added to the collection between 1960 and 1974 by a donation of Milton Fischmann. Milton Fischmann (1915-1974) was an important US art collector. Together with his wife Gail Fischmann, he built a large collection around the middle of the 20th century, consisting of pre-Columbian and modern art. The Fischmanns donated many works of art to US-American museums, including the Washington University Gallery of Art, the University of Miami Lowe Art Museum, the University of Missouri Museum of Art and Archaeology, the North Carolina Museum of Art and the Saint Louis Art Museum. |
| References: |
Cf. a nearly identical mask in a collection described by S. Teel on the research of E. McClain and J. Burd, Mexican Masks Past and Present (2021), Mace Collection, collection no. #TM172.
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| Authenticity: |
We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every artefact, all items are subject to our lifetime return policy on authenticity.
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