Cleveland Museum of Art

Oculate Being Mask

Date

300 BCE–1 CE (thermoluminescence date, 835 BC–185 CE)

Medium

ceramic, resin-based paint

Culture

Peru, South Coast, Paracas (Cavernas) style (700 BCE–1 CE)

Department

Art of the Americas

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

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.

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