A Nazca Feathered Mask...

Description

A Nazca Feathered Mask
Peru, Early Intermediate Period, c. 100-700 AD

This rare Nazca feathered mask was designed as a covering for the heads of the deceased in elaborate mummy bundles, and at times placed on trophy heads of defeated enemies. The woven textile support is densely covered with vibrant scarlet macaw feathers, painstakingly looped, tied, and sewn into the fabric ground. The facial features are articulated with appliqués of beaten silver, carefully cut to form the eyes, nose, and mouth. A wig of braided human hair completes the visage. This one is distinguished by its remarkable preservation of feather color, the finely braided wig, and the rare addition of cut silver facial appliqués. Such details indicate the mask's probable use in a high-status context, linking it to the themes of transformation, ancestral veneration, and the projection of social identity in this and the afterlife. In very good condition. Mounted in an acrylic box. A masterpiece of ancient Andean feather art, of a type seldom encountered outside museum collections.

Provenance:
Acquired by the current collection in 1988
Merrin Gallery, New York, NY

Dimensions: mask, 15 ¾ inches high, including braids; shadow box: 18 x 12 x 5 inches

More Information: Sources:
– Ann Rowe, Costume and Identity in Nazca Culture (Washington, 1984), pp. 22–27.
– Rebecca Stone, Art of the Andes: From Chavín to Inca (London, 2012), pp. 78–81.
– Helaine Silverman, Cahuachi in the Ancient Nasca World (Iowa City, 1993.


Estimate: $8,000 - $12,000.

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