Pendant
Artist/Maker
Artist Unknown
(Artist Unknown)
Dateca. 200-1550
Mediumrock crystal
DimensionsOverall: 3 1/4 x 2 x 7/8 in. (8.3 x 5.1 x 2.2 cm)
ClassificationsCostumes and Accessories
Credit LineGift of Enrico Varisco in memory of Roberto Varisco
Terms
Object number2003.63.3
DescriptionRock crystal was used in Aztec art primarily for smaller-scale ornaments and body decoration. Though difficult to carve, the transparency of this material made it highly desirable for sculptors, whose excellent craftsmanship can be seen in the careful carving of the eyes, angular eyebrows, nose, and partially open mouth. The hair, or perhaps a helmet, is formed by intercalating lines that create a net. Small human heads or masks such as this one were worn as chest pendants throughout Mesoamerica from Olmec times until the arrival of Europeans and had significant ritual connotations.On View
Not on viewCollections
19th century
