1973.49 Face panel (Teotihuacan, Mexico)

The human face was a popular sculptural theme at Teotihuacan (Teotihuacán), where it was carved in a range of sizes and in a variety of stones. The face is generally triangular in shape and has a wide, low forehead. The eyes are not pierced, but their deep cavities were originally inlaid with a contrasting, less permanent material. The everted lips may once have framed inlaid teeth. It is often thought that the masks were funerary and would have been attached to funerary bundles. The mass and weight of this example suggest another function. Drilled holes would have allowed attachment, perhaps to an image of the human figure made from perishable material. Impersonal yet imposing, the masks convey an emblematic sense of authority.

Carol Robbins, Label text, A. H. Meadows Galleries, 2010.

Pre-Columbian (American): AAT: 300016619

Teotihuacán: AAT: 300017031

Mexico (nation): TGN: 7005560

Teotihuacán (deserted settlement): TGN: 7007218

stone: AAT: 300011176

carving: AAT: 300053149

incising: AAT: 300053847

polishing (finishing): AAT: 300053867

drillwork (sculpture technique): AAT: 300186211

Teotihuacán III Period (Tlamimilolpa): AAT: 300017018

Classic (mesoamerican period): AAT: 300016983

face masks: AAT: 300262834

faces (animal or human components): AAT: 300251798

face: DMA

masks (costume): AAT: 300138758

funerary objects: AAT: 300234126

funerary sculpture: AAT: 300184644

sculpture: AAT: 300047090

human figures: AAT: 300404114

triangular (polygonal): AAT: 300263833

eyes (animal or human components): AAT: 300400484

nose: DMA

mouth: DMA

inlays (decorations): AAT: 300256033

teeth (animal components): AAT: 300400467

authority (concepts): DMA

n.d: Dr. and Sra. Josué Sáenz, Mexico, D.F. [1], [2]

Until 1973: Edward H. Merrin Gallery, Inc. [1], [2]

From 1973: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene McDermott and The Eugene McDermott Foundation and Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation, Incorporated, purchased from the above [1], [2], [3]

[1] The main source for this provenance is Object Worksheet (n.d., 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 Acquisition Record (dated March 13, 1973, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.

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

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