Funerary Mask
1 of 7
Object Label
This colorful mask, which would have been attached to a mummy bundle, represents the Oculate Being, which was named for its large, round eyes and may have been an early fertility-cult deity. The mask has a long, projecting nose, and four undulating serpents are painted across it, each with two heads that form projecting tabs. The three tabs below the smiling, toothy mouth may represent a tongue and possibly fangs. At the top is a human figure with the face of an Oculate Being.
Caption
Paracas Cavernas. Funerary Mask, 300 B.C.E.–1. Ceramic, resin, and pigments, 11 3/16 x 10 3/16 x 7 11/16 in. (28.4 x 25.9 x 19.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Frank L. Babbott Fund and Dick S. Ramsay Fund, 64.94. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Culture
Title
Funerary Mask
Date
300 B.C.E.–1
Geography
Possible place collected: South Coast, Peru
Medium
Ceramic, resin, and pigments
Classification
Dimensions
11 3/16 x 10 3/16 x 7 11/16 in. (28.4 x 25.9 x 19.5 cm)
Credit Line
Frank L. Babbott Fund and Dick S. Ramsay Fund
Accession Number
64.94
Frequent Art Questions
Who is the Oculate Being?
The Oculate Being is believed to be a fertility or agricultural deity. Depictions of the Oculate Being are identified primarily by the overly-large, round eyes—which is where the name comes from.
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