Teotihuacan Obsidian Ceremonial Mask, Ritual Use
Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Teotihuacan, ca. 450–650 CE. A dark, glassy face carved from obsidian, its broad planes rising to a flat brow band and squared crown. The sculptor worked the volcanic glass into an idealized countenance: a slender ridged nose, full parted lips, and heavy lidded eyes whose recessed channels retain pale residues from lost inlays of shell or stone. Flanking tabs at the temples stand in for ears, pierced in the customary manner for suspension or attachment. Masks of this class were not worn on the living face, the apertures being too small for sight or breath; they were instead affixed to mortuary bundles or wooden armatures, lending an enduring, unaging visage to the honored dead. Obsidian, prized at Teotihuacan as both economic engine and sacred substance, gives the form its mirror-dark gravity. Size: 6" H (15.2 cm H).
Teotihuacan, the great grid-planned metropolis northeast of modern Mexico City, controlled the Pachuca obsidian sources whose green-gold glass traveled across Mesoamerica, and the city's lapidaries turned the same volatile material toward sculpture. Stone masks are among its most recognizable products, yet not one has been recovered from a securely documented burial context, so their precise placement within funerary or temple ritual remains debated. What is consistent is the aesthetic: bilateral symmetry, suppressed individuality, and a serene frontality that mirrors the city's own anonymous, corporate visual order, where no ruler is ever named and no portrait ever claims a name.
This item is a dropship lot and will ship directly from the consignor's location. All condition, dimension, material, and chemical composition data reflect consignor-supplied information.
Provenance: private Florida, USA collection acquired between 1968 to 1969 and then by descent
This item is a dropship lot and will ship directly from the consignor's location. All condition, dimension, material, and chemical composition data reflect consignor-supplied information.
SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700.
PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception.
Item #
204234
Condition
Good, weathered surface with minor erosion and small losses to the obsidian.
Buyer's Premium
30%
Estimate
Reserve
Time, Location
Auction House
Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Teotihuacan, ca. 450–650 CE. A dark, glassy face carved from obsidian, its broad planes rising to a flat brow band and squared crown. The sculptor worked the volcanic glass into an idealized countenance: a slender ridged nose, full parted lips, and heavy lidded eyes whose recessed channels retain pale residues from lost inlays of shell or stone. Flanking tabs at the temples stand in for ears, pierced in the customary manner for suspension or attachment. Masks of this class were not worn on the living face, the apertures being too small for sight or breath; they were instead affixed to mortuary bundles or wooden armatures, lending an enduring, unaging visage to the honored dead. Obsidian, prized at Teotihuacan as both economic engine and sacred substance, gives the form its mirror-dark gravity. Size: 6" H (15.2 cm H).
Teotihuacan, the great grid-planned metropolis northeast of modern Mexico City, controlled the Pachuca obsidian sources whose green-gold glass traveled across Mesoamerica, and the city's lapidaries turned the same volatile material toward sculpture. Stone masks are among its most recognizable products, yet not one has been recovered from a securely documented burial context, so their precise placement within funerary or temple ritual remains debated. What is consistent is the aesthetic: bilateral symmetry, suppressed individuality, and a serene frontality that mirrors the city's own anonymous, corporate visual order, where no ruler is ever named and no portrait ever claims a name.
This item is a dropship lot and will ship directly from the consignor's location. All condition, dimension, material, and chemical composition data reflect consignor-supplied information.
Provenance: private Florida, USA collection acquired between 1968 to 1969 and then by descent
This item is a dropship lot and will ship directly from the consignor's location. All condition, dimension, material, and chemical composition data reflect consignor-supplied information.
SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700.
PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception.
Item #
204234
Condition
Good, weathered surface with minor erosion and small losses to the obsidian.
Buyer's Premium
30%
Estimate
Reserve
Time, Location
Auction House
