④Bronze mask with protruding eyes

Among the more than thirty bronze masks excavated from the Sanxingdui Ruins site,the most representative ones are a group of three bronze masks, which contains one large and two small ones.

The biggest one is particularly majestic and mysterious, which is 138cm long, 85 cm wide, 66cm high and weighs 71.1kg.

Its protruding eyes and huge ears reminds people of two deities of ancient Chinese legends. One possesses the power of clairvoyance. The other possesses the power of clairaudience.

Its brow tips rise upward. Its eyes are crossed, and the eyeballs are extremely exaggerated, bulging forward to 16 cm.The facial features are drawn in sweeping curves; the usual ridges on the cheekbones spiral elegantly into the corners of the beaklike nose. The mouth comers are lifted upward as if smiling.

The exaggerated eyes of the large bronze mask with protruding eyes are the most intriguing.According to Chronicles of Huayang, Can Cong, the ancient king of Shu, whose eyes were described as muzong (目纵), which can either mean “vertical eyes” or “protruding eyes.” The mask is thought to be an object of worship representing Can Cong.