Elongated Mask Ornament
Unknown Artist
c. 900–300 BCE
Medium
greenstone
Dimensions
h. 13.8 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Art of the Americas
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James B. Wadhams in memory of Miss Helen Humphreys
Accession Number
1967.154
About this artwork
Small masks made of precious media-especially greenstone, which Mesoamerican people valued above most other materials-likely served as elements of Olmec elite regalia. Such masks commonly depict human faces, although it is unclear whether the creature shown on this unusual example is human or supernatural. It may be a late work.