In the modern age we are quite used to the
wonders of film and photography. For the last
century or so, anyone's image could be
accurately captured for posterity. The most
sensitive portraits, of course, reveal much more
about the sitter than his appearance: they evoke
some inner mood, some characteristic emotion.
In ancient Peru, the nobility had themselves
portrayed for eternity in terracotta. We recognize
in images like this one the confidence and pride
of a ruling aristocracy. To look upon such a
portrait is to glimpse the soul of a vanished
culture.
- (PF.1361)
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