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HOME :
Pre-Columbian Art :
Olmec Masks : Olmec Jadeite Mask
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Olmec Jadeite Mask - PF.3359
Origin: Mexico
Circa: 900
BC
to 500
BC
Dimensions:
2" (5.1cm) high
Collection: Pre-Columbian
Medium: Jadeite
$8,600.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
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The Olmecs are generally considered to be the
ultimate ancestor of all subsequent
Mesoamerican civilisations. Thriving between
about 1200 and 400 BC, their base was the
tropical lowlands of south central Mexico, an
area characterized by swamps punctuated by low
hill ridges and volcanoes. Here the Olmecs
practiced advanced farming techniques and
constructed many permanent settlements. Their
influence, both cultural and political, extended
far beyond their boundaries; the exotic nature of
Olmec designs became synonymous with elite
status in other (predominantly highland) groups,
with evidence for exchange of artefacts in both
directions. Other than their art (see below), they
are credited with the foundations of writing
systems (the loosely defined Epi-Olmec period,
c. 500 BC), the first use of the zero – so
instrumental in the Maya long count vigesimal
calendrical system – and they also appear to have
been the originators of the famous
Mesoamerican ballgame so prevalent among later
cultures in the region. The art form for which the
Olmecs are best known, the monumental stone
heads weighing up to forty tons, are generally
believed to depict kingly leaders or possibly
ancestors. Other symbols abound in their
stylistic repertoire, including several presumably
religious symbols such as the feathered serpent
and the rain spirit, which persisted in subsequent
and related cultures until the middle ages.
Comparatively little is known of their magico-
religious world, although the clues that we have
are tantalising. Technically, these include all
non- secular items, of which there is a
fascinating array. The best- known forms are
jade and ceramic figures and celts that depict
men, animals and fantastical beasts with both
anthropomorphic and zoomorphic
characteristics. Their size and general
appearance suggests that they were
domestically- or institutionally-based totems or
divinities. The quality of production is
astonishing, particularly if one considers the
technology available, the early date of the pieces,
and the dearth of earlier works upon which the
Olmec sculptors could draw. Some pieces are
highly stylised, while others demonstrate striking
naturalism with deliberate expressionist
interpretation of some facial features (notably
up-turned mouths and slit eyes) that can be
clearly seen in the current mask.
This mask touches and exhilarates centers of life
beyond our present reality. It serves as a means
of transforming the ordinary to the
extraordinary, the natural to the supernatural.
The mask has always been used as a ritual agent
of transformation in Meso-America. The ritual
wearer of this mask, the shaman, not only
represented the god; he was the god. He
manifested the life-force. Through that ritual
transformation joining the worlds of spirit and
nature, man and god fused in the zone of
mysterious transition marked by the mask itself
This mask is the seat of the soul, where the
outer and inner worlds meet. We are left to
ponder over the mysteries of the universe hidden
behind this mask, and the awakened insights it
has brought to our own inner spirits.
The ultimate sacred nature of the Ancient Olmec
is indicated by the slightly downturned mouth,
suggestive, of course, of the symbolic were-
jaguar. It is a symbol of divine beauty and
worldly power. The eyes are carved upward along
with the eyebrows. The expression is watchful,
yet calm and meditative. These are
characteristics of an ideal ruler who could be
authoritative and powerful, as well as being wise
and thoughtful. Perhaps this expression explains
to us why the Olmecs flourished. They may have
had ideal rulers who had the wisdom to
discriminate what was positive or negative for
the people as a whole. The artist's desire and
ability to idealize certain traits of an ideal and
deified ruler is marvelously displayed here. Rare
and majestic, this mask captivates our attention
and sparks our own inner wisdom to
discriminate what is positive or negative in our
own lives.
- (PF.3359)
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