Basalt Trophy Head

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.