Through the ages, certain civilizations have created a style of portraiture that captures not just the image of a people but their spirit as well. The Fayoum mummy portraits of Egypt, or the marble busts of Republican Rome, tell us not only what people looked like, but also what they thought of themselves. In the New World, perhaps the greatest portraits are those of the Moche nobility, modeled in clay. These works show us a proud, aristocratic people, very confident of their place in the world. This superb head depicts a man at the height of his vigor, wearing a helmet often associated with the warrior class. Looking upon his haughty features, we do not doubt his important place in a vanished world.