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HOME :
Pre-Columbian Art :
Costa Rican Masks : Atlantic Watershed Light Green Stone Funeral Mask
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Atlantic Watershed Light Green Stone Funeral Mask - PF.4430
Origin: Atlantic Watershed Zone, Costa Rica
Circa: 500
AD
to 1000
AD
Dimensions:
12.5" (31.8cm) high
Collection: Pre-Columbian
Medium: Greenstone
Location: United States
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| Description |
This exquisitely carved and immensely powerful
mask seems to float in another dimension of
time and space. Used to cover the face of the
dead, perhaps to help the deceased in his travel
towards the underworld; or to ward off evil
spirits frightened by its kingly expression. The
wide headband, very delicately carved, may
symbolize someone of high rank. The strong,
furrowed brow shows confidence and
determination. But it is the eyes that mesmerize
us, as if we too are embarking on an
extraordinary adventure; undaunted and
determined to overcome any obstacle. The wide
open mouth heralds the coming of this
personage, loud and clear, but also with a
softness as if the soul is speaking to the gods.
The sculptor must have felt the power of magic
and ritual to capture a complex system of beliefs
so elegantly and with such intensity. We can feel
life radiate through the almost iridescent stone,
and through its vision, journey into an unknown
realm.
- (PF.4430)
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