Masquette

Richard Kelton (1929-2019), a passionate explorer, spent almost fifty years sailing the Pacific Ocean from his Californian home of Marina Del Rey. During his voyages, he collected over five thousand works of art representing the history and culture of the regions he crossed.

Among these pieces is this miniature mask, whose reduced size suggests that it was held in the hand or attached to a garment for ceremonial purposes. The marked facial features, intensified by the play of reliefs, underline and intensify the expression of the almond-shaped eyes. In keeping with the classic stylistic canons of this cultural region, the emphasis is placed on the prominent, high-relief nose, with its strongly dilated nostrils. The mouth, with its upturned corners, is set in the lower part, sketching a slight smile at the birth of the receding chin. The ears, signified by two lateral elements, are pierced so that ornaments can be attached.

Price: €1,200 plus postage