160 - - Portrait mask, likely of a lord

- Portrait mask, likely of a lord Veined, speckled green stone, carved and polished, with a small chip and signs of age. Olmec, Guerrero region, Mexico, 900–550 B.C. 15.5 x 13.5 x 5.5 cm Provenance: Former Art des Amériques gallery, Paris. Desbenoit Auction, Fierfort, Paris, Drouot, May 29, 2009, catalog no. 41 (reproduced on the cover). This face exudes a restrained power. The strongly defined brow ridges frame the eyes, while the powerful nose and slightly parted lips lend the expression an almost lifelike intensity. The balance between the full and hollow areas of the modeling combines vigor and restraint. In Guerrero, Olmec artistic expressions attest to close ties between local elites and those of other Mesoamerican regions. The site of Teopantecuanitlán preserves a monumental example of this, revealing shared forms and religious concepts. This mask is part of this artistic tradition, in which the human face becomes the vehicle for an idealized presence. References: Griffin, Gillett G., “Formative Guerrero and Its Jade,” in Frederick W. Lange (ed.), Precolumbian Jade: New Geological and Cultural Interpretations, Salt Lake City, University of Utah Press, 1993, pp. 203–210. Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Teopantecuanitlán Archaeological Zone: Regional Context and Trade Networks. Seo, Ji Mary, *Face*, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2018, entry for work inv. 1977.187.33: a study of Olmec facial representations.