Alvarado Mask
Alvarado Mask
Carved and painted wooden mask depicting a bald male with large nose and beard; inset brown glass eyes have gold lashes beneath them and additional eyeholes under the brow line there are also incised lines around the eyes to represent wrinkles; gold sideburns, mustache, and beard; and open smiling mouth with red lips showing a bottom row of large white teeth
Name/Title
Alvarado MaskEntry/Object ID
2014.C-DG.261Description
A life-sized oval-shaped wood mask depicting a bald man with ivory skin and blushed cheeks, nose, and forehead. There is receding gold hair leading into a full beard that curls at the bottom. A parted gold mustache is under a large, hooked nose and attaches to the beard. Inset brown glass eyes with gold eyelashes underneath, grey shading around, and incised lines that create crow’s feet wrinkles. The cutout eyeholes for the wearer are under raised gold eyebrows. The cutout mouth has rouge-pink lips and a bottom row of large gold and white teeth. Incised lines on the forehead mimic wrinkles and give the mask a surprised expression. A copper wire is attached to the back of the mask. The mask is in good condition.Use
PerformanceContext
Baile de la Conquista (Dance of the Conquest)Collection
Campbell-Dowdey Guatemalan Mask CollectionMade/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Tomás Canil MejíaAttribution
Attributed toRole
ArtistDate made
1990Time Period
20th CenturyPlace
Country
GuatemalaRegion
Central AmericaEthnography
Cultural Region
City
ChichicastenangoCountry
GuatemalaRegion
Central AmericaCulture/Tribe
K'iché People
Maya