Considered to be the single most desirable piece of Troika, and very rarely available, this is the renowned T0201 Viking Mask. This example has been decorated by Ann Lewis who worked at Troika between 1966 and 1972; this is significant as the Mask was only introduced in the early 1970's after the move to Newlyn indicating that this is one of the first examples.
Despite the Mask being in production until the pottery closed in 1983, it was a very poor seller. Coupled with the fact that the piece is inherently unstable when stood on its base, it is not surprising that few examples exist and many that do have chips or glued cracks where the mask has toppled over.
Standing an impressive 10 inches tall, this example is decorated in various shades of earthy brown with the Vikings face picked out in a light blue. The reverse has the aztec symbology, again in earth browns and blue. One of the striking features of this piece is that it is pierced with two holes in the top left hand side (as viewed from the front). These pierced Masks are much rarer than the plain examples, and the holes were make after the piece was removed from the mould but before initial firing.
In absolutely stunning and totally original undamaged condition, this piece would form the centrepiece of any Troika collection. We have always struggled to find a pristine example of this highly desirable 'work of art' and prices at auction have skyrocketed over the past couple of years, even for damaged pieces. This piece is from a private collection and is fresh to market.
The accepted 'book price' for these Masks is £1750 to £2500, although these figures tend to represent 'London' prices. We have placed a realistic price on our piece as we believe you would be hard pressed to find a better example available to buy.
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