Ecuador, 200 Bc - 500 Ad, Jama-coaque Culture, Rare Polychrome Funerary Mask

Origin: Ecuador
Culture: Jama-Coaque
Period: 200 BC - 500 AD
Material: Polychrome terracotta
Size excluding base: 9.5 x 12.1 cm
Condition: Intact
Provenance: Former American private collection

Rare polychrome funerary mask Jama-Coaque culture. The upper face has bluish pigmentation, the rest of the mask is yellowish in color. The mask is characterized by two large almond eyes and in relief under which take place two small incisions. The ears are small, incised with circular patterns. The long thin nose is characterized by dilated nostrils and embellished with a large nariguera (nasal ornament) punctuated at its center with a button in relief. A large mouth receives two circular blue ornaments, all delimited by a raised border emerging in the middle of the nose. A small dimple indicates the concern for realism expressed by the artist. The concave reverse has at its summit two small suspension holes and the presence of a weaving pattern, certainly the frame used during the molding process of the work.

The Jama-Coaque culture developed on the central coast of Ecuador, south of La Tolita. Like the Bahía and La Tolita cultures, it is the product of the original development of the Chorrera culture (1000 BC). Particularly famous for its elegant ceramic figurines with stereotyped features. These are differentiated by the variety and richness of their ornamentations. Close to the Tumaco-Tolita culture, it differs nevertheless in the approach of ceramics by a combination of relief incision. Likewise, a large part of ceramic production is ceremonial in character and often features high-ranking figures.