Oculate Being Mask
Unknown Artist
300 BCE–1 CE (thermoluminescence date, 835 BC–185 CE)
Medium
ceramic, resin-based paint
Dimensions
23.6 × 22.5 × 13.2 cm
Classification
Ceramic
Department
Art of the Americas
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
2003.39
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This rare mask incarnates a supernatural being who may have been the patron of an early fertility cult on Peru’s south coast. Its traits insinuate power, especially the stuck-out tongue and the serpents that slither over the face to form a halo-like corona. Unexplained are the shape of the nose and the small figure wearing a similar mask. The mask could have served as the face of a mummy bundle or an object; the projecting eyes might rule out use by a living performer.