Minneapolis Institute of Art
Pole finial
China
- Date
- 11th–10th century BCE
- Medium
- Bronze
- Department
- Asian Art
- Institution
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
A combination of four masks appears on this bronze finial, which originally adorned the end of a pole. A forceful taotie (composite animal) mask with downward-facing C-shaped horns appears on one side of the top. This monster’s face forms a mask on a human head, with the broad nose typical of early masks. On the other side, a ram’s head, its horns turned down, bites on a head resembling a taotie. This remarkable work demonstrates that men wore zoomorphic masks in ritual ceremony. China, Asia
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