Owl Mace Head
Unknown Artist
2nd–7th century
Medium
Copper (cast), gilt
Dimensions
H x W: 2 15/16 x 3 9/16in. (7.5 x 9cm)
Classification
Metal-Implements
Culture
Moche
Department
Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Jane Costello Goldberg, from the Collection of Arnold I. Goldberg, 1986
Accession Number
1987.394.312
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite Owl Mace Head, crafted by an unknown Moche artist between the 2nd and 7th centuries, hails from the ancient Moche culture of Peru's northern coast. Measuring just 2 15/16 x 3 9/16 inches (7.5 x 9 cm), this cast copper artifact, adorned with gilding, depicts a vigilant owl with finely detailed feathers and piercing eyes. As a metal implement, it likely served as the head of a ceremonial m—a symbol of power in Moche society, where such objects blended warfare, ritual, and elite status. The Moche were master metallurgists, renowned for their advanced techniques like lost-wax casti...