1969.5 Pendant: Bearded Man (Olmec, Tabsaco, Mexico)

The carved stone images Olmec kings wore on their foreheads and chests projected supernatural power. This small, carved jadeite pendant depicts a bearded man and would have originally been suspended from a necklace or brooch by the smaller drilled holes at the earlobes and cheeks of the figure. The almond-shaped eyes, flared nostrils, flattened nose, large lips, and down-turned mouth are common facial features among Olmec figurines. What is unusual, however, is the slight indication of a beard or goatee, which is relatively rare in Olmec sculpture. As these features are more human-like than supernatural, this image may represent an ancestor or the king himself. Finely incised lines indicate the figure is wearing a tall headdress. The elongated forehead may be a sign of cranial deformation, in which head flattening or binding intentionally alters the shape of the skull, a form of ritual beautification common among the Olmec and other Mesoamerican peoples. Objects such as these often accompanied the king on his journey through death to the otherworld.

Pre-Columbian (American): AAT: 300016619

Olmec: AAT: 300017051

Mexico (nation): TGN: 7005560

Tabasco (state): TGN: 7005596

jadeite (mineral): AAT: 300011121

carving: AAT: 300053149

polishing (finishing): AAT: 300053867

drillwork (sculpture technique): AAT: 300186211

Middle Preclassic Period (Formative): AAT: 300016973

Late Preclassic Period (Formative): AAT: 300016976

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

Formative Period (Preclassic): AAT: 300016973

worn costume accessories: AAT: 300209274

jewelry: AAT: 300209286

pendants (jewelry): AAT: 300046002

green (color): AAT: 300128438

figures: AAT: 300189808

human figures: AAT: 300404114

male: AAT: 300189559

beards: AAT: 300379263

head: AAT: 300262520

headdress: AAT: 300046023

ancestors: AAT: 300255718

supernatural (concepts): AAT: 300055947

deities: AAT: 300343850

king: AAT: 300025481

rulers (people): AAT: 300025475

portrait: AAT: 300015637

beautification: AAT: 300111985

deformation: AAT: 300072976

body modification: AAT: 300262468

From 1969: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Dallas Art Association Purchase, purchased from Teochita, Inc., New York (Frances Pratt, dealer) [1], [2]

[1] The main source for this provenance is Acquisition Record (dated March 4, 1969, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.

[2] The Dallas Art Association is the predecessor to the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. The name was abandoned in 1970. Works from this collection were transferred to the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.

Apply to objects where number equals 1969.5