For example, a 45.8cm bronze head with round vertex and gold foil mask was unearthed form the No.2 pit. In view of the facial contour, a bronze mask has already covered its face and head. It is apparent that the gold foil mast was attached to the bronze mask afterwards. The gold foil mast is very thin and has been damaged. A hairpin with damaged ends decorates the back of the head.
Another bronze head with gold mask from the same pit is a little different. It has a flat vertex with hair plaited at the back and put up with a broad hair lace at the top. It presents profound cultural features of the local people and the way local people dressed.
The sizes and shapes of the gold masks are in line with the facial features of the bronze heads. Specially, the eyebrows of the mask are exquisitely hollowed out and produce a sense of authority and sanctity. It is generally thought that the bronze heads with gold masks represent top-level figures who could communicate with.
Another two bronze heads unearthed from the No.2 pit are also very distinctive but without the gold masks. One hatchet-faced bronze head is 13.6cm in height with knife-shaped eyebrows, big eyes, typical snub nose, wide mouth and big ears. In fact, the facial features are very common with today’s Qiang and Tibetan people in Sichuan Province. The Shu people highlight such facial features with exaggeration and show a kind of stylized features. On top, the head has a plait-and-band-shaped decoration, which may be plaited hair or a decoration to secure a crown, which is also similar to the dressing style of some areas in today’s Sichuan. The bronze head has a clear shape and an honest and sincere face full of local characteristics.
The other 51.6-cm-high bronze head wears a hair stick without a gold mask. It is an integral piece made by the whole casting technique. It has round vertex and looks like it is wearing a helmet. There are butterflyshaped hair ornaments at the back of head. Its hair is put up with a broad hair band in the middle. It also shares similar facial features, including snub nose, wide mouth and straight ears. It has apparent black painting on eyebrows and eyepits and red painting on the earholes and nostrils and between the lips.
A unique bronze head widely regarded as a female image, was unearthed from the No.1 pit of Sanxingdui. The top of the head is damaged and there could have been hair ornaments or a crown on top. The hairline at the back of head is clear. It also has vertical eyes and snub nose, but its ears are a little smaller than those of other sculptures. Its lips are sealed. Its mouth is more natural and narrower than others. There is a smile on its face. Its facial features are full of fluency with a fruity face and a wide jaw. It reflects a mild and quiet temperament. It is more practical among other bronze heads and most likely to present the image of a witch of the ancient Shu.
Large bronze masks with vertical eyes and straight ears
Besides the standing bronze figure and bronze heads, some large bronze masks from Sanxingdui are also very striking. The most distinctive and imposing is the bronze mask with vertical eyes and straight ears. This mask has bulging eyes and monstrously protruding eyeballs like two cylinders. A total of three bronze masks with vertical eyes are unearthed from No.2 pit of Sanxingdui and reflect two styles, A and B. They have similar shapes and two major differences.
