Asset number
530696001
Description
Brass (lead-brass) head. The head is a bit less than life size and is made in a naturalistic style characterised by a precise rendering of the face. It has a headdress suggesting a crown of a complex construction. The main section of the crown runs around the head in a three-layer composition. The upper layer is a row of vertical elements suggesting strings of discoid and tubular beads painted in red and fitted with tassels above. Lower is a second range of vertical elements suggesting tubular beads also painted in red and fitted with tassels above. At the bottom is a row of rosettes painted in red. To this main section are attached an arc running over the forehead and a section covering the nape of the neck, consisting of rows suggesting tubular beads in the upper part and feathers in the lower part. Over the forehead is attached a crest comprising a conical element with concentric circles surrounding a central protuberance, and a plume in the form of a plaited element slightly bent to the right. The face is slightly elongated and covered with incised striations which avoid the lips. Two lines of holes run between the lobes of the ears, one going through the angle of the neck and the jaw, the second crossing the jaw below the lower lip. A double line crosses the upper lip. The almond-shaped eyes are small in proportion to the head and the eyebrow-ridge outlined. At the front of the neck are grooves representing folds in the skin. Holes are pierced in front and in each side of the neck. The jaw is broken on the right angle, with the missing part leaving a hole. The head is generally well finished. The crown is painted, while the face and rest of the head are covered by a patina, mostly dark green, with brown areas.
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