1968.31.FA Face Effigy with Aquiline Features (Guerrero or Mexico, Sultepec style)

Masks with human features are a common sculptural theme among the various cultures of Mesoamerica and both Central and West Mexico. Early Preclassic (Early Formative) clay masks from Guerrero in Central Mexico indicate the antiquity of the concept. Most stone masks that portray human beings originate from the Mexican states of Guerrero, Chiapas, and Puebla, as well as Guatemala and Honduras. Lapidary artists favored a variety of precious materials for their small-scale sculptures, including alabaster, obsidian, jade, serpentine, and other varieties of greenstone.

This mask is a fine example of obsidian carving from Late Preclassic (Late Formative) Guerrero or Mexico. This region is known for a wide variety of sculptural styles including Mezcala and Chontal. It is believed that many of these small-scale masks were included among funerary goods of the elite, possibly tied to other effigies or the deceased themselves. Many Sulpetec style masks feature a large, aquiline hooked nose. As in this example, the nose dominates the profile, but appears properly proportioned in frontal view. Many masks have suspension holes, either at the top or the sides as seen here, or a combination of both. Western cultures tend to think of masks as obscuring the face. But for many ancient American peoples, masks have always revealed the true inner being of an individual. Masks worn by living people often showed their supernatural forms, while masks worn by deceased rulers preserved for eternity their human form.

Pre-Columbian (American): AAT: 300016619

West Coast Mesoamerican styles: AAT: 300017196

Mexico (nation): TGN: 7005560

Guerrero (state/Mexico): TGN: 7005585

Mexico (state): TGN: 1001893

Rí Sultepec (stream): TGN: 7407689

Río Sultepec (stream): TGN: 7406648

obsidian (volcanic glass / pyroclastic rock): AAT: 300011254

carving: AAT: 300053149

incising: AAT: 300053847

polishing (finishing): AAT: 300053867

drillwork (sculpture technique): AAT: 300186211

Formative Period (Preclassic): AAT: 300016973

Preclassic (Archaic / Formative / Mesoamerican period): AAT: 300016967

Late Preclassic Period (Formative): AAT: 300016976

sculpture: AAT: 300047090

face masks: AAT: 300262834

faces (animal or human components): AAT: 300251798

masks (costume): AAT: 300138758 

effigies (funerary sculpture): AAT: 300047108

funerary objects: AAT: 300234126

human figures: AAT: 300404114

nose: DMA

eagle: AAT: 300250049

beaks (animal components): AAT: 300400475

curves (geometric figures): AAT: 300378887

eyes (animal or human components): AAT: 300400484

mouth: DMA

tombs: AAT: 300005926

burials: AAT: 300263485

supernatural (concepts): AAT: 300055947

miniature (size): AAT: 300121995

shiny (shine): AAT: 300065244

From 1968: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Foundation for the Arts Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Stephen S. Kahn, purchased from purchased from Teochita, Inc., New York (Frances Pratt, dealer) [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6]

[1] The main source for this provenance is Acquisition Record (dated December 26, 1968, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.

[2] The main source for this provenance is a letter from Merrill C. Rueppel, Director of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, to Frances Pratt, Teochita, Inc. (dated December 27, 1968, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File, Confidential). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.

[3] The main source for this provenance is a letter from Merrill C. Rueppel, Director of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, to Mr. and Mrs. Stephen S. Kahn (dated January 02, 1969, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File, Confidential). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.

[4] The main source for this provenance is a letter from Merrill C. Rueppel, Director of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, to Frances Pratt, Teochita, Inc. (dated January 07, 1969, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File, Confidential). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.

[5] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.

[6] The Foundation for the Arts is a non-profit corporation created as a title-holding entity to serve the people of Dallas but to operate independently of the City. The Dallas Museum of Art (at its own cost) is responsible for the care, storage, insurance, conservation and maintenance of the collection, and agrees to maintain the highest museum standards in the management and handling of the Foundation’s collection. The title to all works of art purchased or otherwise acquired by the Foundation for the Arts is retained by the Foundation.

Apply to objects where number equals 1968.31.FA