Moche Bronze Mace Head

A Pre-Columbian Moche bronze mace head with four columns of three heads, alternating between long nosed faces with almond eyes, and grimacing faces with short noses.

Peru, north coast.

Ca. 100 - 600 AD.

Height: 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm).

Moche civilization was centered in northern Peru where it flourished from 100 to 800 AD. Moche society was agricultural, with a great deal of effort expended on impressive irrigation works and massive public architecture. The Moche are particularly noted for their achievements in art, especially their elaborately painted ceramics, which depicted a wide variety of motifs and scenes from daily life with great skill.

A similar example is illustrated in P. C. Muro, Cobre del Antiguo Peru,(Lima, 1998), p. 436, pl. 128.

Formerly in the collection of John Wise (d. 1981).

Inv#: 8362

Guaranteed Authentic

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