A RARE GOLD FUNERARY MASK, JAVA 14^th century or earlier. Hammered and embossed from a single thin sheet of gold, the face with almond-shaped eyes, elegantly arched brows centered by an urna, the eyelids and teeth neatly incised.

Provenance: Ex-Collection of The Zelnik István Southeast Asian Gold Museum. Institutional art collection in Belgium, acquired from the above.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Wear, minor dents, creases, small tears, light scratches, and tiny losses. Pierced for attachment.

Weight: 31 g
Dimensions: Height 15.2 cm
Alloy composition: Gold between 8 and 14 karat (acid test performed by department), the remainder consisting of various metals, all commensurate with the period.

Expert’s note: Gold funerary masks have been unearthed from ancient grave sites in Java dating back to at least 200 AD. While the urna on the present mask suggests a later date, most likely during the 14^th century when the Hindu Majapahit Empire ruled over Java, an earlier dating is nonetheless possible.

Literature comparison: Compare a related gold funerary mask, 22.6 cm high, 60.857 g, dated to the Preclassic period (ca. 500 BC to 200 AD), in the Yale University Art Gallery, accession number 2008.21.90. Compare a related gold funerary mask, 19.1 cm high, dated 5^th century or earlier, in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, object number 2004.2231. Compare a closely related gold funerary mask, 19.1 cm diameter, also with an urna and dated to the 14^th century, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 1995.569.2.