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
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.