Barakat Gallery Store

HOME : Pre-Columbian Art : Costa Rican Masks : Stone Funerary Mask

Stone Funerary Mask - PF.4367
Origin: Costa Rica
Circa: 500 AD to 1000 AD
Dimensions: 8.5" (21.6cm) high
Collection: Pre-Columbian
Medium: Stone

Location: United States

Photo Gallery

Print image

Description

This elegant mask is so refined and peaceful it has the effect of silencing the world. When viewing its gentle expression a question arises - can this be a precious moment captured in the nebulous realm between sleep and the afterlife? Everything about this work holds within its own space a feeling of calm and peace, as if death is not a finality but a brief pause before awakening. It combines extraordinary strength in the thickness and weight of the stone. The soft gray color is tranquil, while the bands of white sweep along the forehead and across the eyes. The eyes are closed, or perhaps just about to open with a trembling sense of awe of what it will see. The mask may have been worn in ceremonies. Its dreamy expression and partly open mouth seems to say there is beauty and peace in the human soul- truly a gift for everyone on their own journey. - (PF.4367)

contact-form@barakatgallery.com - TEL 310.859.8408 - FAX 310.276.1346