Vietnam, 500 BC to 300 AD. Cast as the face of a man with arched brows above deep eye sockets, pierced almond-shaped eyes, a broad nose, and full lips, the mouth slightly open.

Provenance: From the collection of Paolo Bertuzzi (1943-2022), who was a fashion stylist from Bologna, Italy. He was the son of Enrichetta Bertuzzi, founder of Hettabretz, a noted Italian fashion company with customers such as the Rothschild family, Audrey Hepburn, and Elizabeth Taylor. Paolo Bertuzzi later took over his mother’s business and designed exclusive pieces, some of which were exhibited in the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum in New York, USA. He was also an avid collector of antiques for more than 60 years. His collection includes both archaic and contemporary art, and he edited two important books about Asian art, Goa Made - An Archaeological Discovery, about a large-scale archaeological project carried out with the Italian and Indonesian governments, and Majapahit, Masterpieces from a Forgotten Kingdom.
Condition: Fine condition commensurate with age and displaying remarkably well given its high age. Some losses, dents, nicks, scratches and old wear. Expected signs of weathering, erosion and corrosion. Minor structural cracks, old fills and repairs. Magnificent, naturally grown patina overall with extensive malachite and cuprite encrustations.

Weight: 315.9 g
Dimensions: Height 20.8 cm

Dong Son (named for Dong Son, a village in Thanh Hoa, Vietnam) was a Bronze Age culture in ancient Vietnam centered at the Red River Valley of northern Vietnam from 1000 BC until the first century AD. Vietnamese historians attribute it to the states of Van Lang and Au Lạc. Its influence spread to other parts of Southeast Asia, including Maritime Southeast Asia, throughout the first millennium BC. The culture long remained a mystery to western archaeologists, and it was known only through its bronze objects, many of which were taken from burial sites. Dong Son bronze objects were exhibited in Europe for a century before their original location was even determined, and several theories and speculations over the dating methodologies of the culture continue to this day.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related Dong Son bronze face mask, lacking most of the patina because of extensive restoration and conservatory work, illustrated by Danny Tan, Assistant Curator of the Asian Civilizations Museums, Singapore.



東山文化銅面具
越南，公元前500至公元300年。面具成男人面容，眉毛深邃，眼窩深邃，大眼圓睜，鼻樑寬闊，嘴唇豐滿，嘴巴微微張開。

來源：Paolo Bertuzzi (1943-2022年) 私人收藏。Paolo Bertuzzi是來自義大利博洛尼亞的時尚造型師。他是 Hettabretz 的創始人 Enrichetta Bertuzzi 的兒子，Hettabretz 是一家著名的義大利時裝公司，客戶包括羅斯柴爾德家族、奧黛麗赫本和伊麗莎白泰勒。Paolo Bertuzzi 後來接手了他母親的生意並設計了獨家作品，其中一些作品在美國紐約大都會博物館服裝學院展出。六十多年來，他還是一位狂熱的古董收藏家。他的收藏包括古代和當代藝術，他編輯了兩本關於亞洲藝術的重要書籍，《Goa Made - An Archaeological Discovery》-關於義大利和印度尼西亞政府合作的大規模考古項目，以及《滿者伯夷-來自被遺忘王國的傑作》。
品相：品相良好，有一些缺損、凹痕、刻痕、劃痕和磨損，並可見風化、侵蝕和腐蝕的跡象；輕微的結構裂縫、填充物和維修。大面積自然包漿與綠色銅紅色結殼。

重量：315.9 克
尺寸：高20.8 厘米

東山文化是位於越南北部紅河河谷的一個鐵器時代史前文化。它約繁盛於公元前1000年到公元前後，它影響的區域包括東南亞其他地區乃至以及印度-馬來亞群島。越南歷史學家將其歸因於範朗州和悠樂州。公元前1000年，它的影響了東南亞的其他地區，包括海上東南亞。長期以來，這種文化對西方考古學家來說一直是個謎，人們只能通過青銅器了解它，其中許多通過考古墓地挖掘。東山青銅器在其原始位置被確定之前就在歐洲展出了一個世紀，關於文化年代測定方法的幾種理論和推測一直持續到今天。

文獻比較：
比較一件相近東山文化面具，由於廣泛地修復，因此沒有包漿，圖見新加坡亞洲文明博物館助理館長Danny Tan。