On view
Art of the Ancient Americas
Mask,
250–550 CE
Teotihuacán
Classic Period (Tlamimilolpa-Metepec phase)
2007-139
Solid masks carved from a wide variety of colorful stones are among the best-known forms of art from Teotihuacan. Although these masks have not been found in burials, they are believed to be funerary objects; perhaps they were attached to funerary bundles, serving as surrogate heads for the bodies hidden in layers of cloth. The three masks of this type that have been discovered archaeologically come from the buildings alongside the Avenue of the Dead, running north-south at the very heart of the behemoth city of Teotihuacan. Some scholars believe that these large buildings may have been home to funerary bundles, serving as "ancestor houses" for prominent lineages of the city.
More About This Object
Information
Title
Mask
Dates
250–550 CE
Medium
Travertine
Dimensions
h. 18.5 cm., w. 17.5 cm., d. 11.3 cm. (7 5/16 x 6 7/8 x 4 7/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Gillett G. Griffin
Object Number
2007-139
Place Made
North America, Mexico, Central Mexico, Teotihuacán
Culture
Period
Type
Materials
Techniques
Subject
Said to be from an old Swiss collection. December 19, 1969, sold by “J.R.” to Gillett G. Griffin (1928-2016), Princeton, NJ [1]; 2007, gift to the Princeton University Art Museum.
Notes:
[1] According to Griffin’s Notebook 4-14. “J.R.” likely refers to John Rhoads.
- Kathleen Berrin and Esther Pasztory, eds., Teotihuacan: Art from the City of the Gods (San Francisco: Thames and Hudson and The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, 1993)., cat. no. 91 (illus.)
-
"Acquisitions of the Princeton University Art Museum 2007," in "More than one: photographs in sequence," special issue, Record of the Princeton University Art Museum 67 (2008): p. 96-119.
, p. 111 - Princeton University Art Museum: Handbook of the Collections (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Art Museum, 2013), pg. 308
