1973.54 Face Effigy (Colima, Mexico, West Mexico)

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 jadeite carving from Late Preclassic (Late Formative) Colima. This region is known for a wide variety of sculptural styles from multiple cultural groups that inhabited this area of Western Mexico, though it is best known for its distinctive ceramics. 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. This mask features a prominent brow, shell inlaid in the eyes, and a large nose that 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.

Mexico (nation): TGN: 7005560

Colima (state/Mexico): TGN: 7016644

jadeite (mineral): AAT: 300011121

shell (animal material): AAT: 300011829

inlays (decorations): AAT: 300256033

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 period / Mesoamerican periods and styles): AAT: 300016976

sculpture: AAT: 300047090

face masks: AAT: 300262834

faces (animal or human components): AAT: 300251798

face: DMA

masks (costume): AAT: 300138758 

effigies (funerary sculpture): AAT: 300047108

funerary objects: AAT: 300234126

human figures: AAT: 300404114

nose: DMA

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

green (color): AAT: 300128438

shiny (shine): AAT: 300065244

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

Until 1973: Edward H. Merrin Gallery, Inc., New York [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.

Apply to objects where number equals 1973.54