Mask, c. 900-300 BCE
Olmecexpand_more
Jadeite, cinnabarexpand_more
The John R. Van Derlip Fundexpand_more 2002.127
Not on Viewexpand_more
This mask was created about 3000 years ago, perhaps as a portrait of a leader among the Olmec people of Mesoamerica (present-day southern Mexico). It was likely reserved for ceremonial use. An artist sculpted it from jadeite, then carved lines and highlighted them with a red mineral powder of mercury sulfide (cinnabar). These lines may replicate face paint or tattooing. The rare materials and symbolic designs, like the supernatural human-jaguar whose face hovers above the right eye, reflect the ruler's religious and political power.
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- Accession Number
- 2002.127
- Curator Approved
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