The coffee-bean eyes of this head look upwards
at a slight angle. A full broad nose provides a
focal point of balance for the wide surface area of
the cheeks and sides of the head; and also for
the rather large, finely carved ears. A slim
circular ridge around the forehead offers a
simple suggestion of a cap; as delicate in its way
as the small, expressive mouth. Trophy heads
were essential features of aristocratic tombs,
representing a warrior's numerous conquests on
the battlefield. Such heads constitute some of
the finest sculptural work in period VI (100 -
1550 A.D.). In the case of this particular head,
the sculptor has managed to achieve both the
poignant moment of capture with the nobility of
the captive, in a form of fine contours and lines.
- (PF.2794)
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