China, Inner Mongolia, 907-1125. Formed from a sheet of thinly beaten silver and faithfully modeled to the contours of the deceased’s face, with ridged eyebrows, closed eyes, the nose long and straight above a thin mouth with subtly bow-shaped lips, the temples pierced with three small holes each, the small ears worked separately and protruding from each side of the face.

Provenance: From the collection of Mary McFadden. Mary McFadden (born 1938) is an American art collector, editor, fashion designer, and writer, who was born in New York City. During the 1960s she worked as the director of public relations for Dior New York. After marrying Philip Harari, a merchant for De Beers diamonds, they relocated to South Africa, where she worked as an editor for the South African Vogue from 1968 to 1970. In 1976 she established her own clothing company Mary McFadden Inc. and in 2012 she published a book titled ‘Mary McFadden: A Lifetime of Design, Collecting, and Adventure’.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, small losses and minor tears around the edges, one with an associated minor repair. Light surface corrosion typical of ancient silver. Superb, naturally grown patina with malachite and azurite encrustations.

Weight: 75 g (excl. stand), 830 g (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 21.6 cm (excl. stand), 30.9 cm (incl. stand)

Mounted to an associated modern stand. (2)

Funerary masks are associated with the burial culture of the Qidan Liao and many examples made of bronze, silver sheet, or gilt bronze such as the present example have been found in tombs of the Liao elite in Inner Mongolia. Two impressive gold funerary masks were discovered in the royal tomb of the Prince and Princess of Chen, dated 1018. Similarly made of thin hammered gold sheet, they are supposed to realistically portray some of their owners’ facial features.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related silver alloy mask in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, accession number 2012-53-1. Compare with Zhu Qixinin, ‘The Liao Dynasty tomb of a Prince and Princess of the Chen Kingdom’, Orientations, October 1991, fig. 11. Compare another example made in gilt bronze sheet and excavated from a Liao tomb at Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, see ‘The Silk Road in Inner Mongolia’, Hong Kong, 2007, cat. no. 18. See also a similar example in the Musée Guimet, Paris, reference number MA2352.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s London, 14 May 2008, lot 92
Price: GPB 26,900 or approx. EUR 54,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A silver funerary mask, Liao dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related material and technique, with similar malachite patina and separately worked ears.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 9 December 2020, lot 199
Price: USD 7,500 or approx. EUR 8,100 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A silver funerary mask, Liao dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related material and technique. Note the smaller size (16.5 cm) and missing ears.