1979.2 Mask, possibly of Tlaloc (Mexico, Mixtec-Aztec) | DMA Staging Content Management System

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The Aztec Empire, founded in 1325 CE by nomads who settled in the Valley of Mexico, was the last great indigenous state of Mesoamerica. From the capital of Tenochtitlan (present day Mexico City), Aztec authority spread by conquest to encompass much of Mexico before the Spanish arrived in 1519 CE. Human sacrifice was a critical element in Aztec ritual and is often depicted in Aztec art. Art included both vigorously realistic stone sculpture and finely crafted small‑scale works in ceramic, stone, and precious materials, such as turquoise. The art form of turquoise mosaic, which originated among the Mixtec of Oaxaca, enhanced the surfaces of masks, headdresses, shields, sacrificial knives, helmets, pectorals, staffs, and other objects. The concentric circles around the eyes of the Dallas mask are an identifying feature of the rain and storm god Tlaloc. For the Aztecs, turquoise symbolized the preciousness of life, the blue of the sky, and the blue of water, which was associated with Tlaloc. Mosaic masks may have adorned images of deities or been worn by god impersonators. In Oaxaca they were placed on the bundled bodies of the deceased, who were enshrined as venerated ancestors.

Adapted from

Bonnie Pitman, ed., "Mask, possibly of Tlaloc (1979.2)," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012), 50.
Carol Robbins, "Mask, possibly of Tlaloc (1979.2)," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection, ed. Suzanne Kotz (Dallas, TX: Dallas Museum of Art, 1997), 193.
Carol Robbins, Label text, A. H. Meadows Galleries, 2010.

NOTES

Mixtec-Aztec (Mexica), Late Postclassic period, 1350–1521 (noted on TMS), updated by KJones on 02/26/16, 06/19/14, and 10/15/13.
Fun Facts Source: John Lunsford, Acquisition Committee Record and Checklist (dated November 1, 1982, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File, Confidential).

Catalogue essays

Artist/designers

Cultures

Pre-Columbian (American): AAT: 300016619

Aztec: AAT: 300017033

Mixtec: AAT: 300017180

Mexica (Aztec): AAT: 300017033

Geography

Mesoamerica

Mexico (nation): TGN: 7005560

Process/materials

Mixtec and Aztec Masks: Turquoise Mosaic

mosaic (process): AAT: 300138684

wood: AAT: 300011914

turquoise (mineral): AAT: 300011164

shell (animal material): AAT: 300011829

resin (organic material): AAT: 300012882

lignite (coal): AAT: 300211957

tesserae (mosaic components): AAT: 300010730

polishing (finishing): AAT: 300053867

Historical periods

Postclassic (Mesoamerican period): AAT: 300016987

Late Postclassic: AAT: 300134119

Individuals

Subject terms

Tlaloc

funerary objects: AAT: 300234126

conquests (events): AAT: 300410367

rain (precipitation / weather): AAT: 300055377

water: AAT: 300011772

deities: AAT: 300343850

Tlaloc (Mesoamerican / Aztec deity of rain and lightning): CONA: 1001411

blue (color): AAT: 300129361

green (color): AAT: 300128438

ancestors: AAT: 300255718

RELATED OBJECTS

PROVENANCE

n.d.: private collection, Italy [1], [2]

n.d.: private collection, Switzerland [1], [2]

1978-1979: Edward H. Merrin Gallery, Inc., purchased at auction, "Tribal and Pre-Columbian Art," Sotheby's, London, December 11, 1978, lot 101 [1], [2], [3]

From 1979: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, The Roberta Coke Camp Fund, purchased from the above [2], [3], [4]

[1] The main source for this provenance was existing provenance information in TMS. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.

[2] The main source for this provenance is John Lunsford, Acquisition Committee Record and Checklist (dated November 1, 1982, 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 Acquisition Record (dated June 20, 1979, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File, Confidential). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.

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

AUDIO ASSETS

12933521: UMO. Audio: AztecMaskMove - 10/25/1983, "DMFA Move: Transporting Aztec Mask," Documentation: Transporting mask by hand by DMFA staff from Fair Park to new location downtown (DMA Collection, Mask, possibly of Tlaloc 1979.2); Discusses history of mask. [Note: *Unedited footage.]

VIDEO ASSETS

IMAGE ASSETS

WEB RESOURCES

ARCHIVAL RESOURCES

FUN FACTS

There are two categories of pre-Columbian mosaic masks—those which were in use at the time of the Conquest, which after falling into Spanish hands were sent to Europe during the early to mid-16th century—and those masks which had been buried (as grave goods or dedicatory caches) prior to the Conquest, which have since been found in various archaeological contexts. This mask is of the former class, and it is one of less than thirty objects of various types (other mosaic-covered objects, featherwork, wood and gold objects) which have survived above ground from the early 16th century to the present. As such, its condition is far better than is the case for almost all of the objects which have been archaeologically recovered. Less than two dozen whole or fragmentary masks are known, and of these, a number are either heavily restored or in a very poor state of preservation.

TEACHING IDEAS

TI Mask, possibly of Tlaloc

RULES

Apply to objects where number equals 1979.2

General Description

The Aztec Empire, founded in 1325 CE by nomads who settled in the Valley of Mexico, was the last great indigenous state of Mesoamerica. From the capital of Tenochtitlan (present day Mexico City), Aztec authority spread by conquest to encompass much of Mexico before the Spanish arrived in 1519 CE. Human sacrifice was a critical element in Aztec ritual and is often depicted in Aztec art. Art included both vigorously realistic stone sculpture and finely crafted small‑scale works in ceramic, stone, and precious materials, such as turquoise. The art form of turquoise mosaic, which originated among the Mixtec of Oaxaca, enhanced the surfaces of masks, headdresses, shields, sacrificial knives, helmets, pectorals, staffs, and other objects. The concentric circles around the eyes of the Dallas mask are an identifying feature of the rain and storm god Tlaloc. For the Aztecs, turquoise symbolized the preciousness of life, the blue of the sky, and the blue of water, which was associated with Tlaloc. Mosaic masks may have adorned images of deities or been worn by god impersonators. In Oaxaca they were placed on the bundled bodies of the deceased, who were enshrined as venerated ancestors.