Theatre-mask applique; Rome, 2nd century AD. Bronze. Slightly... Lot 8

Theatre-mask applique; Rome, 2nd century AD. Bronze. Slightly missing from the forehead. Provenance: Private Collection, Madrid. Measurements: 8 x 6.5 cm; 1.5 x 5 x 4 cm (base). Small theatre mask made of bronze, probably used as a decorative applique on some piece of furniture or architectural element. Ethnologists place the birth of the mask at the moment when self-consciousness -self-awareness- is produced. Its use dates back to the most distant antiquity, being found among the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. The Greeks used them in the Dionysian festivals; the Romans during the Lupercal and Saturnalia festivals and also in stage performances. This type of piece was very common in the Roman Empire, but also in other cultures that, directly or indirectly, had contact with them. Theatrical masks were common in the arts of the time, and could have a religious significance (linked to some divinity or sacrifice, votive function, etc.) or simply be a decorative motif.